


Accepting the Unknown

by adal44t_kb_o



Series: The Unknown [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, Multi, Other, Polyamory, Rough Sex, Size Kink, Threesome - F/M/M, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2019-12-30 18:28:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 35,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18320828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adal44t_kb_o/pseuds/adal44t_kb_o
Summary: After unwittingly saving her life, Lykrosis and the female return to their tempestuous dance of pleasurable trysts and conflicted feelings. While the female's health improves, Lykrosis is put in more danger than either of them realize. This path will lead them further into the Fallen's past than they ever could have imagined, but some secrets are better left buried.





	1. We Need to Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Lovelies! I’m back with part 2 of The Unknown Series. If you have been with me for awhile, you will know that the first half of this is what used to be a large portion of IitU. I’ve decided to reorganize this work into a series as it is turning into a more extensive story than I had originally intended.

Transmat.

 _Finally_. Ship. Exhausted. Sleep, sleep now.

…

…

Awake. _Where—_ sitting up. Soft, warm bed. Comfortable. _Ship._ Smiling gently. Ship is safe, secure. No fear. Looking. Ghost is near console, working. Always working. _How long?_

“You’ve been sleeping for two days.”

Smiling halts. Ghost is… agitated. It says nothing. Clearly agitated. _Why not speak?_ Ghost is strange. Deciding to wait. Time passes…

…

Ghost says nothing.

She will wait more.

_Still so tired._

Sleep, more sleep.

…

…

Another day passes. Ghost says nothing. Sighing. Ghost does this, always.

She would have to prompt it. She hated prompting it. She would be gentle. _Ghost?_

“What?” Ghost says quietly.

She **hated** prompting it. _Ghost?_

“I said what?” Ghost turns. Staring, blank staring. Waiting. Ghost turns away. “We need to talk.”

 _Yes?_ Waiting…

…

Waiting…

…

Ghost does this, **always.** Sighing again.

She knew, she would try. She would be gentle. It wouldn’t matter.

_Ghost?_

It turns and—explodes. “You’re dying! All this time, all this time and you never said anything. For two years we have been traveling from planet to planet doing all of this shit and you didn’t think maybe you should mention that you are dying? You have been lying to me, letting me think that this pursuit of yours was purposeful, but it’s not, is it? These creatures are what, conquests? Working your way through the universe just for kicks before you die?”

Ghost is not agitated. Ghost is angry, hurt, solemn.

She wasn’t dying, not truly.

No speaking. Keeping this secret. Distraction necessary. Soothing necessary. Hand raises. Invitation.

Ghost understands. “No,” it says. Ghost turns away. “Not right now. I can’t right now.”

_Ghost?_

“I said no. Now leave me alone while I work.” Ghost laughs. Sounds unhappy. Sounds derisive. “Of course, I don’t even know why I’m bothering at this point. Seems like a waste of time considering.”

Standing. Walking. Close, close now. Close enough to touch.

But she wouldn’t. Not first. It was Ghost’s decision.

“I know, I mean, I’ve always known how messed up you were, but I never… I didn’t… I didn’t think you were dying. How foolish of me; I honestly thought you were trying to fix this.”

_Yes._

Ghost turns. It looks… sad. “No, you can’t fix this. I felt it; this thing, whatever it is, is so ingrained with your being that I can’t separate its existence from your own. It is draining you, feeding off your light and everything that gives you life like some sort of parasite. It’s taking you, taking you away from me. I can’t, I can’t lose another…”

It is frightened, irrational.

She knew this, she tried to prevent this. She would soothe it.

 _Come._ Hand raising, beckoning. Time passes.

Finally, Ghost floats slowly forward… and settles. The light flares, bright and hot. It feels good, feels like home.

_Not conquests. Purpose._

She would fix this. She needed the Vandal, needed the Fallen. _I don’t understand yet why, but it is truth._ Nothing had changed.

“Everything has changed. Now I know you’re dying and I also know how well you are able to hide that fact. Any minute could be your last and I would never know.”

_No._

She would fix this.

“You can’t promise me that.”

_No._

She couldn’t promise that. But she would try. _For so long, I have resisted. For so long. The Vandal makes it easier. With him, she felt like… her._

She remembered things. She felt things. She understood things.

Yes, she would try. She would succeed.

“You feel so certain, but I don’t know how to feel.”

_Trust?_

“You know I do.”

All she had done, all she had been through. She would succeed.

Ghost understands. Ghost knows. _Trust._

Ghost laughs gently. “Are you saying I should know better than to doubt you because of how awesome you are at everything?”

Smiling.

Ghost quiets. Time passes…

“Don’t lie to me; do you really think you can beat this?”

Certainty. _I tried to hide. Unsuccessful. Either way, I’ve pained Ghost. Perhaps, it should know. Monitoring this darkness. Ghost needs this, needs the distraction, needs to feel useful._

She would give it this.

_Ghost?_

“Yes?”

She had many secrets. Most, she couldn’t remember. This, she would not keep this from Ghost.

“What does that mean exactly?”

Ghost would monitor this. She would let it know, let it know when it worsened. And when it lessened. She would let it understand, help it understand.

“Ever since we first met, I have wished for you to stop hiding things from me, but now I understand why you did it. You were worried I would freak out, weren’t you?” Ghost sighs, mood leveling.

Interruption—alarm sounds.

Ghost floats toward console. Head cocks. Alarm is new. Curiosity, purpose.

“It’s a proximity alert. I left a sensor beacon in the hollow the last time we were there so I could keep track of your Vandal’s coming and goings.” Its voice is normal. Work always distracts Ghost. Grateful. “He has returned each day,” it continues, “but I thought it better to let you sleep since you were still recovering. I felt how tired you were. Don’t worry though, I sent him a transmission the first day he returned stating that you still needed time to heal and would return when able. Do you wish for me to transmat us to the surface?”

_No._

Ghost turns. It is surprised, confused.

_Tomorrow._

She needed to speak with Ghost.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m honestly surprised you’re choosing this conversation over meeting with your Vandal.

_Important._

Ghost stares. Perhaps, evaluating? Strange. _“_ I’ve sent another transmission telling him we will return tomorrow.”

_Tomorrow?_

“Well I actually said ‘following your next patrol.’ Anyways, I think you should start telling me what the hell is going on with you and maybe I can figure out a way to be of more use.”

_Later._

She needed to speak of something else.

_More important._

“More important than this?”

 _Yes._ Quiet, calm, but solemn. _This is necessary. Ghost must know, must understand._

Things would need to happen. Ghost would need to leave. It couldn’t stay. It would be in danger.

She needed to speak of this.

_Contingency._

“Contingency? I don’t understand. What do we need a contingency plan for?”

_Not we._

She had a plan, for Ghost. In case…

…she failed.


	2. Closed Mandibles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Nothing to say other than I hope you enjoy.

The ship was quiet now, only the soft rise and fall of a long lost, pre-Golden Age symphony playing in the background.

Their conversation had been illuminating, and yet largely depressing. The ghost had received an extremely vague description of what was happening to her, whether that was by design or she really didn’t know what this thing was eating away at her, it couldn’t be sure. Then, it got what it could only describe as an ill-advised attempt to beat this ‘darkness’ as the ghost had come to call it with the lack of a better term. What she considered to be the solution was purely theoretical, based only on the fact that she felt slightly better when sleeping with these creatures.

“That doesn’t even make sense,” it said to itself quietly. The ghost turned abruptly and zipped over to the sofa where the female reclined once again. “I need to take scans!” it said too harshly.

The look she gave it was blank as though she hadn’t noticed its erratic behavior, which she definitely had. Her acquiescence came with a feeling of encouragement and the ghost proceeded with full body scans. The external ones probably would not be very helpful, but it never hurt to gather as much information as possible.

There was a subtle chord of curiosity playing along the periphery of its mind and it knew that it was coming from her, but she remained silent and it refused to comment. She wanted to talk and it wanted to work. Was it throwing itself into this work to avoid acknowledging the proverbial elephant in the room? Yes. Did it care? No.

“I’m finished. I’m going to get these loaded into the computer for analysis and then I’ll bring you your drink. You haven’t eaten since we got back on the ship.” It didn’t wait for a reply. Was it being cowardly? Probably. Did it care? Once again, no. It wasn’t going to be the one to bring up the contingency plan.

If the ghost had its way, neither of them would ever bring it up again.

* * *

Er’tas lie on a set of furs in his shared quarters listening to the conversation unfold around him. He was interested, somewhat, but his mind wandered, distracted by the event that occurred not so many moments ago. He had debated internally many times whether or not he should inform his chosen hunting unit of the occurrence.

“The stealth reaver, the one that knows to keep his mandibles closed,” proclaimed the Elder Vandal nearest him. Krinicks was the youngest of the Elder vandals, hatched just before the Whirlwind. He had never truly known the home planet, a great loss for him, and his fortune had not improved since.

He was a skilled warrior, always emerging from a battle unscathed, and yet he managed to accumulate many crippling injuries throughout his life in absurd accidents. Twice, defective stabilizers had initiated power feedback loops causing shanks to explode within a few ntr of him. The injuries sustained had rendered his left, outer eye non-functioning, his left, inner eye darkened and vision blurred, and damage to his sensory tendrils that affected his targeting capabilities.

Many moments after those incidents, a power surge aboard a skiff had caused the slide mechanism on a door to malfunction and close on his left, upper claw severing two digits. He could no longer use it to grasp weapons and had to compensate by using his lower claw.

And only a few patrols ago, large rocks along the edge of a cliff side he was scouting had shifted unexpectedly crushing his right leg. It had healed, but he would forever have a noticeable limp. The Elder vandals frequently joked that the servitors had it in for him and asked him what he had done to enrage them so.

His proclamation was in response to the group’s musings about which reaver would next be promoted to Captain as Friksor’s replacement. Loksis spoke up, negating his assertion, “No, he associates often with the lower stealth Vandal. It is unbecoming.” Loksis was infamous among their crew, especially among the Elder vandals. The actual reasons for this had been lost from memory except by a select few, but these reasons had seen him bestowed the coveted title of Devil Claw by the Kell. His opinion was to be respected.

Already he should have ascended to the rank of reaver and perhaps even Captain, but he was passed over at his own request, a notion that was unheard of. All Fallen wanted to rank higher. Nonetheless, he was the only Vandal below reaver status to be summoned periodically by the Captain for reasons he did not share, even with them.

“This is valid. Perhaps the overly aggressive scout. Tyriks would be wise to select an enforcer,” interjected the last member of their group, Vost. The oldest member of the crew and perhaps even in House Devils, Vost was a mystery. Quiet and reserved, he did not speak often outside of their unit, but like Loksis, his words were respected by all. As was his might.

He was the only Vandal in the crew who had never lost a challenge, even against multiple opponents. His size gave him the advantage as he was the largest Vandal the crew could boast, his shoulders and chest rivaling that of the Captain, but he was also an excellent strategist. Many considered him the only choice for replacing Friksor, but he had yet to be made a reaver for some unknown reason.

The conversation lulled momentarily, an indication that they expected him to interject with his own opinion on the subject. “It matters not,” he said distractedly although the words were well thought out; he had considered this internally many times. “He will kneel to Tyriks in all things.” To share the same class, was not to share the same rank. The other would be an underling, Tyriks’ lesser.

The room grew silent again as they considered his words. When Loksis spoke up, he expected it to be a comment on his assumption, but the other Vandal questioned him on a different topic, “Recently you lie quietly often, Er’tas. What distracts your thoughts?”

He had still debated if he would tell them anything up until that point, but with them addressing him directly, Er’tas decided not to censor himself. “When last did any of you have a female?” he asked quietly. The subject of females was a sore point for many Elder Fallen and some did not take kindly to any reminders of what their species had lost since the arrival of the Great Machine.

“I have never mated a female,” answered Krinicks almost immediately.

“The hatchling conveys this as though it surprises,” jested Vost with an accompanying arm flick, a rare showing of amusement from him. Er’tas could not help his amused trill and their combined mirth filled the room as a clattering of mandibles. All except for Krinicks, who clicked something rude at the older Vandal, which only incited more laughter.

Both the initial comment and Krinicks’ foul language alone were enough to incite a challenge between unacquainted Fallen, but their unit had been formed many moments in the past. They knew each other well including their sense of humor. Vost was not easily offended and the younger Vandal had grown accustomed to small jabs at his youth and misfortune.

After the last of the clicking had Fallen away, Loksis spoke up again, “I mated sparingly aboard the Ketch following the exodus.”

“I report the same as Loksis,” replied Vost returning to his reserved demeanor, although the curiosity was evident in his tone.

“Perhaps better asked, a female witnessed since the restriction?” The answer was clear by the quick arm flicks of denial he received from each of them, not that he had suspected otherwise.

“The last report indicates, remaining are House Wolves. Why curious?”

Er’tas moved from his furs to kneel with the other vandals around the decommissioned control console in the center of the room, which they often used as a makeshift table. “Spawned Vandal spoke the word ‘female’,” he said, which resulted in a few hisses of surprise. “He did not understand it. I am curious how he was knowledgeable.”

“Answer is obvious. Elder Fallen speaking without caution,” clicked Loksis disdainfully at the foolish behavior, especially for Elder Fallen who knew only too well the risks of such information spreading. If the nuur’khu ever learned of their plight, it could be disastrous not only for the Devils, but for all Fallen.

“Your thoughts are misplaced. It matters only, he knows. You are wise to explain to Tyriks this occurrence. He will discover how, punish all involved,” warned Vost.

This was true; already, the lesser Vandal had spoken to the reaver. If a Dreg overheard the term it would spread through the ranks in a matter of moments as they could never keep their mandibles closed. The more spawned Fallen that knew, the harder it would be to manage. They would have to cull. _No, better to control this now._ He would contact the Captain’s guard for a meeting following his next patrol.

“Vost is correct,” he finally said as though the conversation had never been interrupted, “Tyriks will select an enforcer. He has no use for other skills.”

And with that comment, the debate was renewed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… did you guys like our little dive into the world of the Elder Fallen? Anybody catch those hints and think they may know what is going on? Please, please let me know in the reviews as I love hearing your theories. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Ntr-measure of length. It is equivalent to about a meter.  
> Nuur'khu-literally means lightwielders. This is what Fallen call guardians.


	3. Performance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And to all my other readers and reviewers a very big thank you to all of you crazy, awesome people. You stick by me even when it takes way too long to update.

Six days and four trysts later, the female was feeling… disappointed. Oh, she was thrilled with the arrangement they had made with the vandal. In exchange for information she was more than willing to divulge, she got the one thing she insisted was the key to solving her problem. Already, she told it the pain had receded significantly, a testament to the darkness within being held at bay. It was skeptical, but didn’t say anything and just continued to monitor her with daily scans.

Regardless if it was true improvement or not, the ghost liked seeing her happy and the vandal was undoubtedly the cause. She generally just liked interacting with him. Whenever they were together, it could feel the contentedness emanating from her, a light chord of curiosity and amusement edging all of it as she scrutinized every action he took.

No, as far as she was concerned, her situation had never been better; the only problem, the sex wasn’t awesome.

As inexperienced as he was, she didn’t really have high expectations, but other than lasting a bit longer than the first two times, he wasn’t improving. He was focused only on himself and completely inattentive to her needs almost as though she wasn’t even there, not to mention it was over so quickly. Consequently, she was left wanting after each encounter, which was not exactly what she was expecting from the male she was so certain was ‘The One’.

So she had sat on her thinking perch, or the sofa as it was more commonly referred, and tried to devise a solution to her little problem. Silence and stillness had ensued.

The ghost had excused itself from this situation entirely as it wasn’t exactly qualified to help with sexual matters and really didn’t want to anyways. Besides, it was fairly certain the issue was once again because the fallen were more intelligent than the other species she had been with. Conversation was usually the last thing on any of the males’ minds, but each time the vandal came to the hollow, it got the feeling he cared more about the information than the sex.

The conversation itself was relatively mundane by the ghost’s standards, but that was purposeful; it was trying to give out as little information as possible concerning the Last City and the guardians. Instead it mostly spoke of the humans and their customs, and it taught the vandal various Earth concepts, particularly the passage of time and how they measured it. He asked questions, mostly for clarification, but the vandal remained reserved and never volunteered any information about the fallen, not that it expected otherwise.

One improvement that the ghost had noticed was that the vandal seemed to have calmed down a bit. His movements had grown easier and less defensive like he no longer expected to be attacked at any moment. He had also stopped issuing warning growls at every action the female took. He still maintained a certain distance from them until he was ready to mate and his shock blades were never out of reach, but it was progress nonetheless.

Sudden movement on the periphery of its vision caught its attention. The female was back in the present it seemed, and judging by the resolute feeling coming across, she had decided on a course of action. That was followed immediately by the desire to return to the planet’s surface.

_Down._

“Yes, I’ve gathered that. First,” it said as it left the console and floated to her, “why don’t you tell me this plan you’ve just concocted so I can determine how likely it is to cause trouble?” To that it received an amused smile and a reminder that it didn’t want to know anything about her sex life. “You’re right, I don’t… but you better tell me anyways.”

And she proceeded to do just that.

…

By the time she finished explaining the plan, which somehow the ghost was featured in quite prominently, she was literally grinning from ear to ear.

The ghost was quiet for a few moments and then it just sighed; today was going to be a long day.

* * *

The pair were already waiting in the hollow when Lykrosis arrived, the nuur’az hovering in the far corner while the female lounged atop one of the many boulders. Upon noticing his arrival, the creature dismounted the rock and was directly in front of him in one quick movement.

It was so abrupt, his instinctual response was to back track and raise his blades with a warning growl.

Its only reaction to his warning was a broad smile. Backing up a step, it knelt on the ground seemingly content to begin their usual conversation.

“You will have to excuse her,” said the nuur’az floating forward to a respectable distance, “She is in a particularly good mood today. Anyways, I have additional details on Pre-Golden Age architecture if you would like to start where we left off last time.”

Lykrosis did not know what ‘excuse her’ meant nor why the female was in a good mood, but he ignored it and clicked his mandibles together in denial at the latter half of the nuur’az statement, “I wish to discuss mating.”

“Really? Okay,” and he did not miss the way the pair glanced quickly at each other. The movement almost seemed as though they were surprised by his choice of topics.

Lykrosis wasn’t sure if he was interpreting that incorrectly or if he was correct, why they would be surprised, but having mated the female multiple times now, there were details about the act he wanted to understand. Specifically, he had noticed distinct differences between their mating and that of the female and the sdee’al. “What purpose serves the liquid?”

“I think I’m going to regret asking this, but… which liquid are you referring to?

“Female mates sdee’al, liquid appears on flesh.”

“Hm, certainly not where I thought we were headed,” it said at a barely audible level.

The words didn’t seem to be directed at him, or at the creature for that matter, more so just spoken to the air. Lykrosis had witnessed it do this frequently and was now almost certain that the nuur’az was speaking aloud… to itself, which was beyond strange. Why would it bother to relay internal thoughts if it did not expect a reply?

“That liquid is called ‘perspiration’. I don’t know if you are familiar with the term, but it’s part of her body’s homeostatic mechanisms.”

“Unfamiliar, ‘ho’eosstatic’.”

“Homeostasis means that a creature’s body has to maintain certain internal conditions to keep itself alive. In this case, the body uses perspiration to maintain a constant internal temperature. When the female’s body gets warmer than normal for a certain amount of time, it cools itself down by secreting the liquid, which moves from her skin to the air and takes excess heat with it.”

This concept was… fascinating, if it was truth. Fallen did not have such a process. Their bodies could function within a large internal temperature range and it was affected by external factors only. Perhaps, this explained why the creature’s flesh was always so warm to the touch. That thought prompted another question from him, “The female controls this process?”

“No, it happens automatically.”

“This has no logic,” he admonished. “This ‘rs’sration’ does not occur, I mate the female.”

“Uh, well her body does heat some just from the act of mating, but it heats much more when it is… working harder.”

 _Working harder?_ The nuur’az implied the female performed more work and consequently became warmer while mating the sdee’al than him. _Perhaps the chosen position,_ he wondered. The creature had been more active when the sdee’al knelt behind it than it was when it lie in front of him, but this did not explain their first mating when it moved exclusively. Perhaps then the fact that the sdee’al mated the female for many more moments than he did. This seemed more likely. “Answer is acceptable. What causes the female to vocalize?” He liked the creature’s moans and screams. They were prey sounds and elicited much desire within him when he watched the display previously, but it had not made such vocalizations while mating him.

“Vocalize? Oh, you mean like—right. She vocalizes when mating feels really good. It’s a sign the male is performing well because the sounds are mostly incoherent and unbidden; like the female is so overwhelmed she’s forced to express it aloud.”

Lykrosis grew still and did not reply. He understood the implication of the nuur’az words. “Why the female does not finish?”

The nuur’az turned toward the creature and said quietly in their own language, “Wow, he is really trying to kill me with these questions.”

The statement caused the creature to smile and Lykrosis, who was learning to better read these ‘facial expressions’, was almost certain it was amused. He did not like that. Combined with the earlier implications, he concluded the pair were amused by him and his attempts at mating, which were apparently deficient. He let out an involuntary growl with his growing anger.

The pair faced him again, the creature’s smile fading probably with the understanding of his change in demeanor.

He rumbled out, “Your amusement, unappreciated.”

The nuur’az dropped lower to the ground and nearer its partner as it said, “We apologize,” in its own language before switching back to E’lik, “I talk too much and probably make too many sarcastic comments for my own good, but the mirth was not directed at you.”

“What means this, ‘a’ologize’?”, he growled out again, further angered by the nuur’az use of words he did not understand.

“To apologize… It’s like—hmm, how to explain this? It’s acknowledging that you said or did something wrong to another and you are regretful that you did it. I can’t find a direct translation for this to E’lik. How do you say this in your language?”

Lykrosis anger stalled, at least momentarily, as he considered this new concept, which sounded completely foolish to him. He had never heard of admitting being offensive out loud especially not to another, much less expressing regret. If one was offended, they would challenge the other for the offense and it mattered only who won. _Hu’ins survive expressing such weakness,_ he thought with disdain. “Fallen do not a’ologize,” he said and released a hiss of ether by-product to show his distaste for the idea.

“That’s not actually surprising. Nonetheless, we do and it’s a human thing as well. Anyways, as for your original question, females generally find it harder to finish and require more time to do so than males. They ne—”

“You imply deficiencies, I mate the female,” he stated, anger still present and apparent in the words.

“What? I never said that!”

“Imply,” he repeated as he knew the nuur’az had not stated this explicitly. “The female does not vocalize, she does not feel good. The female does not work hard, does not finish, the mating does not last enough moments. The sdee’al pleases the female. I mate the female, not pleasing.”

“No. Well… yes and no. It does feel good for her when you mate, she just needs more. Look, I have no idea how mating really works since I don’t exactly have the parts to do so, but I am told it is more difficult than it appears to be. There is skill involved or something. The sdee’al has mated many more times than you, so it is logical that he would be better at mating than you right now. However, the female does want to continue mating with you and would like to show you how to mate… more proficiently if you will allow it?”

Lykrosis considered this. If mating was a skill, then it could be perfected through practice and repetition. He cared not that the female was not pleased as he only agreed to the mating because the sensations were pleasant for him. However, in not being pleased, it followed that the cause was his performance and that was unacceptable. Fallen lower ranks had to prove their worth in all things, which meant showing competency in all skills they acquired and this was no different. His pride and instinct would not allow him to knowingly be inadequate and he would especially not allow himself to be bested by one of the Zkr K’ Rav.

No, he would agree to this and learn to please the female.

_I will make her scream._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! The next chapter is going to be so good. I know, the anticipation is killing me as well. Gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alas, it will be a little while longer, but what did you guys think of this chapter? Anybody think they know what our femme’s plan is and why Ghost would be involved in it?
> 
> Btw, I think I stated this some time or another, but I’ve taken the nickname ‘Spider Pirates’ and what we canonically know of the fallen to infer that they are insect/arachnid-like. The temperature regulation reference in there is the nonexplicit way of saying they are poikilotherms. 
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light. This is what Fallen call ghosts.  
> Sdee'al-Hive Knight  
> Zkr K' Rav-literally means to be of necrosis and decay. This is what Fallen call the Hive.


	4. Breach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Lovelies! Quick chapter for you guys.

A darkened expanse of hollowed out rock made up the walls of his private lab. Cold and bare like the rest of the cave system, they were a constant reminder of all he had lost, a symbol of the warmth no longer present in his life. The banner of House Devils was proudly strewn high across the back wall behind him, but that did not make the room feel any less deprived. So many moments ago, he would have looked down on other fallen living this way, he was a baron after all, but these conditions were now commonplace.

The room was large given the limited space they had within the caves and generously lit. Low light levels were not normally an issue for his keen eyes, but the meticulous engineering and experimenting he performed here required better visibility, thus, the energy tubes highlighting every ntr’k of the room. Worktops and shelves were neatly arranged off to his left as were the tools, equipment, and parts stacked on top of them. Off to his right was a console giving him access to the archive, communications, and the cave’s alert system, which he had set up to quickly blast throughout the complex in case an enemy managed to penetrate the caves. There were two doors leading out of the room; the one behind and to the right led to his private quarters and the one directly ahead to the rest of the cave system.

Tyriks sat behind a worktop set in the center of the room and recalibrated a teleportation module housed in the right helm fin he had stripped from a destroyed fallen captain. He was trying to improve distance and directionality of their teleporters, which was at this point limited. The mechanism was difficult to work with as any modifications could disrupt the consecutive events that must take place to scan, destroy, and reassemble one’s sub-atomic makeup. He would first have to try it on other objects and living organisms before he could use it on himself.

A ping on his comm. link interrupted his work and he growled in irritation. The guard outside his door was requesting permission to enter. Tyriks set down his tools and straightened into a more dignified sitting position before tapping his comm. link to issue his approval.

The door in front slid open admitting the vandal, who moved just far enough into the room for the doors to whoosh closed behind him. He inclined his helm in respect immediately and said, “Captain Tyriks,” before stilling and waiting to be acknowledged.

“Speak,” he clicked not bothering to hide his annoyance at the interruption.

“Captain, vandal requests audience.”

“Why?” he asked curious now as a lesser fallen requesting permission to speak with him was not a common occurrence.

The vandal paused for a moment seemingly thinking about the answer, and then said quietly, “I did not ask.”

Tyriks let out a low growl, patience wearing thin at the incompetence. “Find out!” he ordered harshly. The other fallen hastily left the room, which prompted the captain to silently consider his latest choice of guard. This one was worse than the last. How could he not find three competent vandals to perform such an easy task? _Perhaps I should select Elder fallen over spawned,_ he mused.

The vandal reentered the room and Tyriks noticed its lower arms were both twitching in apparent rage. “Vandal refuses to speak. He says topic is not for fallen… like me,” he said spitting out the words with venom.

“He is Elder?” he asked understanding the implication.

“Yes.”

“Send him in. Wait outside.”

The vandal gave an indignant arm flick before exiting as though he could not believe he was told to wait outside. Tyriks felt a rare flare of amusement; spawned fallen were so ignorant.

Soon after the first departed, another vandal entered his lab, and it was immediately apparent that he was Elder. This vandal was taller than the spawned variety, lither of frame and longer of arms and claws. The eyes were larger and a lighter blue, closer to his own almost white ones. The armor had the lustrous shine that came from obsessive cleaning, but underneath it was old and worn. However, Tyriks knew it was impeccable in its construction. Made from the finest metals of their home world, it was superior to anything that could be scrounged and assembled in this star system.

The vandal’s carriage was confident and assured as he moved farther into the room than the other had dared. “Captain.”

“Name?”

“Er’tas.”

 _Er’tas…_ He knew that designation; this vandal hunted with Loksis. “You speak of old?” he asked certain this would be the only reason to withhold information from his guard.

“Yes.”

Tyriks gestured for him to speak in full; the past was a topic not brought up lightly as no fallen wanted to be reminded of the disgrace that had befallen their entire race.

“Restriction is threatened. Spawned vandal speaks of females.”

His previously fading irritation raged back in full force; he did not need this right now! Already Friksor had been lost and with him the crew’s viability. Their status was threatened unless a suitable replacement could be found and now he must split his efforts between that and discovering the cause of this breach of information. He would have to punish or destroy all involved before it spread amongst the ranks. His crew would not be the start of another cull. They could not afford it and he would not bear such dishonor and humiliation. “Explain to me this occurrence,” he ordered anger coloring his vocals.

Tyriks listened intently while the Elder vandal explained the event that had occurred between the spawned vandal and the reaver in the waste disposal area. The explanation was short as had been the conversation between the two, and when he was finished, the captain dismissed the Elder with a practiced wave. “Your loyalty and intelligence are remarked upon by Loksis, Devil Claw. This matter requires prompt attention; your role in it is noted.” With that said, the vandal inclined his helm once more and withdrew from the lab.

Alone again, Tyriks considered this situation fully; it would need to be handled carefully and quietly. Neither vandal, it appeared, were familiar with the term, which was fortuitous, and even the reaver’s suggestion to consult the archive was not bothersome. The data core had been sanitized at the lower ranks’ access levels. The only threat here was the spread of the word and further conversations on the topic.

This reaver, Kreesis, was exceptional for being spawned and he was one of a few being considered to replace Friksor. It would not do to destroy him unless absolutely necessary. The other would normally be expendable, but there was too much flux in the crew at the moment; they needed all the remaining vandals they had.

Tyriks would assess the extent of the damage first and react accordingly. He tapped his comm. link again and sent a transmission to his guard to send for the reaver, Kreesis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always reviews are much loved and thanks for reading! FYI, many of you may have seen that I posted a Destiny drabbles fic. I do not intend for it to distract from my work on this fic, but every once and awhile I need a break and to get my mind on something else. So, if you’re interested in Destiny drabbles and one-shots, I recommend it especially between updates of this fic.
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Ntr’k-measure of length. It is equivalent to about a centimeter.


	5. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Guess what? We finally got there. Good, sexy smut! (Well hopefully you guys think so :) There is a bunch of talking in there and some awkwardness because I had to keep it realistic, but otherwise… some good stuff.
> 
> Chapter Warning/Tags/Kinks-Interspecies sex, consensual sex, heterosexual sex

After agreeing to the creature’s proposition, Lykrosis knelt to indicate the conversation portion of their meeting was over and it could approach him for mating. This change in their routine did not please him as he preferred to control their interactions, but if it was to show him how to mate more proficiently, he would have to allow this. However, watching it crawl toward him, each movement slow and calculated, he already felt the first stirrings of familiar reticence.

The creature ended in a kneeling position mirroring his own as close to him as it could be without touching. Just as it had that first time, it lifted both its claws and placed them lightly against his chest armor.

Lykrosis instinctively tensed at the touch. The movement had been slight, but no doubt the creature had felt it because it did not proceed any further.

“You must try to relax,” the nuur’az said drawing his attention. “You are always expecting an attack, but we have no intention of doing so.”

“I allow the female’s touch,” he said, silently scoffing at the idea he should not be ready for an attack.

“Yes, but you view her touch adversely, not as something pleasing.”

“It pleases me, the female touches my waste organ,” he replied directly.

The nuur’az made a strange, blunt noise before it continued, “Yes, I’m sure it does. Well, if you relax, she can make touching other parts of your body pleasing too.”

Nothing was so sensitive as his waste organ so Lykrosis remained skeptical of the nuur’az suggestion, but he kept that to himself. When the little machine failed to speak further, he returned his attention to the creature.

Its claws had remained still during their conversation, but now began to stroke through the folds of his cloak, simply feeling. He remembered this action from their first mating and similarly this time it also seemed to please the creature as evidenced by its smiling.

Lithe digits skittered back and forth between his chestplate and the fabric, lingering here and there. When they moved high up on his shoulders and hovered for several moments over the clasps on his cloak, he became suspicious. The subsequent click confirmed his suspicions immediately; the creature was trying to decloak him! His upper claws shot to its joints, grabbing them and halting further attempts to remove his fabric while the lower claws pressed shock blades into its sides.

“Relax!” the nuur’az shouted instantly at his movement. “She wishes to take your cloak and some of your armor off.”

Neither he nor the creature moved. Only the quiet slide of his cloak falling off his shoulders to the dry soil below gave life to the hollow and that simple action angered him further. “No,” he replied his tone laced with threats as he moved its claws away from his shoulders and down in between their bodies.

“She wants to touch you.”

“The female already touches.”

“She wants to touch your body, your skin.”

“No.”

“It’s part of mating; both partners’ skin should touch. She removes her own clothing for this purpose.”

“No,” he clicked in finality. Lykrosis was well aware of what mating entailed at this point and there was no need to remove his protective armor. If the creature chose to leave itself so vulnerable, then that was its own foolishness, but he would not do the same.

“Rrgh… this is never going to work!” the nuur’az said forcefully, and although it still spoke E’lik, he was certain it was speaking to the creature. “He is never going to relax enough for you to mate with him properly.”

Lykrosis wasn’t sure if it had wanted him to know what it had said or if in its frustration, it had forgot to hide its words in their own language. If the latter, perhaps he could use that to his advantage in the future to get more information out of the pair, but either way, the statements were… curious.

He didn’t understand what they wanted from him. He allowed the creature to touch him even if the idea did not enthuse him and he touched it in return when required during the mating. Why did it matter if he was not relaxed as the nuur’az said?

The creature gave a small tug and he released its claws, letting it go. It settled backwards on its haunches, cocking its head to the side as if in contemplation. After a few moments, it turned toward the nuur’az and they proceeded to have a conversation, this time the little machine remembering to switch back to their own language.

“No, he is frustrating… I am aware… You think that approach will work… I think you are being overly optimistic… Of course, I’ll do it. I already agreed to help you with this. Besides, how could I deny you your fun… No, not screwing the vandal; the enjoyment you get embarrassing the shit out of me.”

A broad smile took over the female’s features. The conversation must have ended after that because it turned back toward him.

It lifted up again, but its claws went for his groin this time and he allowed it. It worked open the panels of his bio-suit, drawing out his quickly lengthening shaft. The creature squeezed firmly at the base causing Lykrosis to let out a quiet trill of pleasure, which doubled as an encouragement for more. The female obliged him, slowly stroking up and down. Its digits caught on each ridged edge causing jolts of sensation and a rush of heat straight to his groin.

 _This_. This was a sensation of which he would never tire. Every time the creature first touched him, there was an intense jarring of pleasure. That feeling quickly quieted, leaving behind a low but constant chord of pleasant sensation stemming from his erection and spreading outward through his entire body.

Not many moments after, the first stirrings of pressure began. Heat surged through him as the pulse of his lifeblood quickened with each stroke and flick of the creature’s digit across his sensitive tip. It all slowly built from there reaching ever upward towards that coveted height.

 _Yesss. So close._ He could feel it; the intensity, the overwhelming pressure in his groin. His eyes kept falling closed unbidden with each jolt, and then flashing open as he warred with his uncooperative body. His respiration grew quick and short, a trill of ecstasy just moments from escaping him. _Almost_ —and then all the sensation cut out. Lykrosis growled at the loss, his eyes flashing open again.

The creature was still just as close, still staring at him, but it no longer touched.

“The first thing to understand about mating,” said the nuur’az, and he was only just realizing that it had stayed instead of zipping off as it normally did during the display, “is that you should try not to finish.”

“Why? Sensations are most pleasant during climax,” he asked not bothering to hide the frustration in his voice. Why had the creature stopped touching him? The blissful pressure had been so close and now it was slowly receding much to his dissatisfaction.

“Exactly. The point of mating is for both the male and female to feel good and enjoy the act. Every time you finish too quickly, she does not get to, so if you try not to finish, the mating will last long enough for her to climax as well. Additionally, females can generally have multiple climaxes and are ready to continue mating whereas males are often finished after just the one. If you want to compare this with the sdee’al, he usually makes her climax at least twice before he finishes.”

Lykrosis bristled at the mention of the sdee’al; he did not need the little machine to remind him of its superiority over him in mating. These assertions held logic; he had already surmised himself that the duration of the mating was the reason the female did not vocalize and finish. However, the sensations were overwhelming. How was he supposed to avoid finishing too quickly, particularly when he didn’t want to avoid it?

“Also, the female tells me that the climax is better and more intense when you hold it off longer.”

 _…more intense?_ That peaked his interest. Lykrosis could hardly imagine how the mating could be even better. If it was truth, perhaps delaying his climax would not be as dissatisfying as he originally thought. However, he still wasn’t certain how to go about doing so.

He needn’t have put thought to it; the nuur’az supplied him with the answer as though it knew what he was thinking. “So, if you feel like you are getting close to finishing, then the best thing to do is halt all movement. Once you have calmed down a bit, you can start moving again.”

Once again, the advice was logical. Without the creature stroking him, the pressure of his impending climax had quickly faded away although he still desired it. A quick realization hit him with that thought. “Female demonstrates?” he asked certain he was correct about the situation that had just occurred.

“Yes.”

Lykrosis didn’t say it aloud, but this was an intelligent approach. He never would have stopped voluntarily and he understood the nuur’az words far better coupled with the creature’s actions prior. “This is acceptable. Demonstrate more,” and his arm flicked unconsciously in a command for it to proceed with whatever its next action would be.

Much to his surprise, the female reached out and grasped his erection firmly again. It didn’t start slow as it normally did, but immediately stroked vigorously up and down his length.

The shock of sensation elicited a short warble from him and a clattering of mandibles. His hips bucked involuntarily and caused the creature’s claw to slam into his groin. The contact pushed down on the flesh below his shaft and elicited a pleasure so intense he almost finished right there. “Klk,” he said, the rarely used profanity coming out instinctually.

The creature must have noticed how affected he was because the movement slowed considerably. The rough stroking changed to a smooth, sluggish glide. After a few moments, the overwhelming pressure leveled off, the claw moving much too slowly for him to finish.

Just as before, the creature somehow knew exactly what was happening in his body and that he was ready for more stimulation again. The pace increased slightly and became the rhythmic movement he was familiar with. First a squeeze near the base, then a slide and twist as it stroked up the shaft, and finally a quick swipe of its digit across the tip. As with everything the creature did, it was tightly controlled and perfectly fluid.

 _Its claw feels so good,_ he thought languidly, unwilling to admit it aloud even as his helm fell backwards in pleasure.

The female kept him on edge. Its pace adjusted based on how close he was, slowing down whenever his climax was almost upon him and then speeding back up when he had calmed down. It was simultaneously the most frustrating and yet blissful thing he had ever felt.

“The female asks if you like her clothing,” said the nuur’az abruptly.

“What… means this?” he asked barely able to concentrate.

Slowing its movements considerably, the female sat back on its haunches. The movement changed again as it just barely continued to stroke him. It was enough to keep up the stimulation and consequently his desire, but not enough to steal his clarity of mind.   

“She wants to know if you like her clothing. Do you like the way it looks?”

“You ask strange questions,” he replied with another arm flick, this one of incredulity. Lykrosis surveyed the creature again, this time scrutinizing this ‘clothing’ that it wore. It was the one-piece suit colored in the same bright crimson as House Devils’ heraldry he had seen it adorn before. The fabric was tight, accentuating the shape of the female’s form and only covered it down to mid-thigh. It also did nothing to protect the underlying flesh, the material being so thin and not overlaid with harder armor. “It is impractical,” he scoffed.

“Is that all?”

At the tail end of its words, movement from the female’s claws drew his attention. The right one left his shaft and joined the other, digits lightly trailing across its own thighs. Gentle scrapes and tugs played at the edges of the clothing, pulling at the fabric and giving him the smallest glimpses of more flesh.

“The color pleases me,” Lykrosis finally admitted, although he wasn’t quite sure why.

“She says that is good because she picked it just for you.”

“What means this?” he asked again although his gaze was still focused on the creature’s claws. They now grasped the fabric, and oh so slowly, began to slide upwards while he watched dragging the suit with them. The movement was controlled, intentional. The higher its claws moved, the more flesh that was exposed to his eyes, and the further entranced he became.

It held no logic, but that simple movement flooded him with even more desire. His mind was overcome with anticipation like he was on the verge of a hunt. The creature’s flesh, he knew, was supple and so warm. His claws flexed ready to grasp and dig into it as he had many times previously. The shining, white expanse of its thighs called to his baser instincts. He had an overwhelming urge to bite into that flesh, sink his mandibles and teeth in and taste the sweet, sweet lifeblood. His groin clenched at his own thoughts, erection throbbing painfully with his want to mate the female. 

“Crimson is the color of your house. She figured you would like it.”

Lykrosis meant to respond, but he was too preoccupied with following the female’s progress. The suit was pulled off its hips and up the toned flesh of its abdomen before finally being lifted over its head where it was dropped absentmindedly to the soil.

He was surprised to find it wearing additional clothing underneath the suit. There was the tiny piece of fabric that covered the area between its legs, which he had witnessed before, but there was another piece he was not familiar with. It was larger and wrapped around the creature’s upper body cradling the mounds. Both were made of roughly textured, black fabric that stood in stark contrast to its bright, white flesh.

The female’s claws moved behind its back at the same level as the upper clothing and after a moment, it loosened with a tiny click. Like the suit, the female drew it off and let it fall to the ground.

Being that the creature had just uncovered them, his focus was drawn to the mounds, which he had not seen since their first mating, and he took a moment to scrutinize them. They were large and round, the same color as the rest of its flesh except for slightly darker areas at the center. Lykrosis was curious about their intended purpose, but he was more interested in the area between its legs at the moment.

“The female likes to be touched on most parts of her body,” said the nuur’az, “but she has two erogenous zones that are much more sensitive than the rest of her skin. The first being her breasts, which are the mounds of flesh located on her chest. They are responsive to touch as well as temperature change and are particularly sensitive around the nipple, which are the centered, darker areas. The second you are more familiar with, which is the area between her legs, but it is infinitely more complex than it seems, or so I’m told,” and the nuur’az turned toward the creature momentarily, who responded with a smile of amusement.

“There are two main parts: the outside, which consists of folds surrounding a central nub of flesh, and the inside. This nub and a certain spot on the inside are inundated with sensitive nerve endings like your shaft. Rubbing and putting pressure on these two areas will elicit pleasure in her and are the key to making her climax.”

After the nuur’az finished explaining, the creature lifted up high on its knee joints and hooked its digits under the straps holding its only remaining clothing on.

Lykrosis’ upper claws shot out for the second time, grabbing its wrists and halting the movement he figured was coming next. “I will do it,” he growled out, desire and the need to be in control overriding reticence. He couldn’t explain it, but he just wanted to touch the female.

It removed its claws from his loosened grip and tentatively moved them to his shoulders seemingly steadying itself.

At that moment, the female’s large eyes focused on his own, Lykrosis finally, finally detected a rush of pheromones. _That scent,_ he thought, an audible groan escaping him. That perfect scent, the one meant to entice and excite, the one that had originally drew him in and made him keep coming back for more. He hadn’t even realized until now that he hadn’t detected that scent since their first mating. He wanted to consider why that may be, but right now, he just didn’t care.

Lykrosis ran his claws along the smooth expanse of the female’s hips, allowing the covered digits to press hard into the flesh. The creature’s warmth bled through his bio-suit and just for a moment, he considered removing his gauntlets. He wanted to feel that heat unhindered and dig his actual claws into the soft flesh. Instead, he caught the thin straps holding the fabric on with his digits and began pulling it down. Reaching its knee joints, he pulled each side underneath one at a time as the creature lifted up for him.

The female’s right claw flowed down the length of his arm, dragging across the back of his claw, before grabbing the clothing and pulling it all the way off.

Lykrosis returned his grip to its hips, not quite sure what to do next, but feeling… eager nonetheless.

The creature took hold of his left, lower claw and pulled it in between them before pausing. “The female asks if you are willing to remove the gauntlet on this claw.”

Lykrosis wanted to refuse instinctually, but he had thought that same thing himself not but a moment ago. Also, as much as he liked the feel of the heat coming through the bio-suit on his upper claws, he could only image how good it would feel to directly contact it with the flesh of his sensitive, lower claws. “This is acceptable,” he said trying to stay composed although he just wanted to proceed already.

His armor was easy enough for the female to remove, but instead of proceeding, it stared at his exposed flesh for a few moments and then flicked its gaze to the nuur’az.

“Oh, I see what you mean,” the little machine said in E’lik obviously responding to whatever the female had said to it. “The sensitive areas I mentioned before are thin-skinned and can be torn easily. Try to use the length of your digits as opposed to the sharper tips. When you are trying to stimulate her, use different techniques like more pressure versus less and faster versus slower. Other than that, you’ll have to figure out what works best and she will let you know what she likes.”

The creature pulled his now unadorned claw forward and guided it between its legs. Its own claws returned to his shoulders seemingly allowing him to ‘figure out what works’ as the nuur’az had put it.

Immediately, the overwhelming heat enveloped his sensitive flesh and oh, how good it felt. His other claws dug further into its hips, a growl escaping him with his fervor. Without the ability to see much of the female’s anatomy and only the nuur’az explanation to inform him, Lykrosis would have to increase his understanding tactilely.

He pushed his shortest digit between the external folds finding the flesh to be even softer and surprisingly, wet. The makeup was rather simple, and he easily located the central nub of which the little machine had referred. He pressed down on it, but there was no noticeable change in the creature’s expression, body, or scent in response to the contact. He was disappointed at the reaction; how sensitive could it be if it did not produce any indication the female even felt his touch?

Lykrosis pushed down harder figuring it may require further stimulation, but the creature flinched and he felt it shifting away from him, trying to relieve the pressure. He backed off and changed his method, rubbing back and forth across the nub instead. There didn’t seem to be any response from that action either, but after several moments, he noticed a minute change. Lithe claws flexed against his shoulder armor and there was a slight change in the creature’s respiration rate.

 _So, it is affected._ Lykrosis continued his efforts, flicking his digit even faster across its body. The change was not rapid, but the more moments that passed, the more detectable the signs of its pleasure became. There were tiny shudders that sporadically passed through its form. The respiration became heavier and its digits flexed repetitively, digging into the surface of his armor. The evidence of its excitement grew, that perfect scent surrounding them more fully, and its eyes finally fell shut.

It wasn’t many moments later when there was another distinct change. The female’s hips started to move. It alternately pressed harder against his digit and then backed off, seemingly enjoying short bursts of increased pressure.

Lykrosis had assumed the newest change would mark another period of movement, but he had been wrong. With only a few more strokes of his digit, he finally saw pleasure overtake its features.

The female’s claws tightened around his shoulder armor and the first moan escaped it. There were only a few, short and breathy, but they were accompanied by a full body tremor. This lasted only for a moment or two before its entire body pulled away from him hard enough that he released his grasp on its hips, and one of the creature’s own claws pushed his out from between its legs.

The reaction was perplexing.

He knew he had been pleasuring it; he was familiar with the expression from when it mated the sdee’al. However, it clearly no longer wanted to be touched. Perhaps he had unknowingly injured it. Lykrosis looked to his left to find the nuur’az still there although not actively paying attention to them. “What happened?” he asked gaining its attention.

“What do you mean?” it asked floating back toward them.

“The female, desires not to be touched.”

“She’s just hyper-sensitive after climaxing; the lightest stimulation can be too much, even painful sometimes. Just give her a minute or so to recover.”

 _The female finished?_ That was not the expected explanation. This reaction and that of its former climaxes differed considerably. Lykrosis found himself dissatisfied again. All the pleasure signs had been minimal and he desired to hear the female scream and cry out. This indicated he had still failed to please the female adequately as the nuur’az had previously stated its vocalizations were directly linked to the male’s performance.

The situation was frustrating enough that he gave voice to thoughts he normally would have retained. “The female’s climax differs. She,” he said trying to familiarize himself further with this word, “is less pleased?”

“No. The two spots are both sensitive, but they lead to climaxes that vary in intensity. The internal spot is more difficult to locate, and consequently stimulate, but it will cause a much more intense reaction both as you rub against it and when she finishes. That does not mean that the other is less desired though. Trust me, from the feelings I am getting right now, she very much enjoyed the one you just gave her.” As if to reinforce the nuur’az words, the creature finally started to open its eyes, albeit sluggishly. Its smile came on just as slowly and the whole expression seemed content. It reminded him of the satiation he felt after each time he finished.

True to the nuur’az words yet again, the female did not seem ‘finished’ at all. It moved back toward him, closer even than before, and grasped his shaft. It stroked him a few times, bringing his slightly waning erection back to its full length.

Lykrosis expected it to continue the pleasing stroking, but it surprised him with its next action.

Unlike all the times they had previously mated, it did not lie back against the dirt. Instead, it backed up about a ntr and flipped over onto its claws and knee joints, displaying itself to him. The female looked at him over its shoulder just for a moment and then lowered its upper body to the ground.

It was… submitting.

A trill erupted from him, harsh and loud. The position stirred some feeling within, exciting him. He felt dominating and that carnal desire tore through him, veiling his thoughts and pulling from him a basic, instinctual need. In that moment, he did not want anything but to dig his claws into the creature’s warm flesh and bury his shaft inside it.

Lykrosis quickly covered the small distance it had created between them and did just that. His claws grasped it, the uppers around its slim waist and one of the lowers at its hip. The last claw he used to guide his shaft in between its legs. Without pausing, he pushed forward while simultaneously pulling the female back toward him and slid in all the way to the hilt.

His entire shaft was surrounded by tight, wet heat and nothing had ever felt better. Somehow, the female seemed even hotter and wetter than it had previously and Lykrosis was losing himself in that feeling. He had enough clarity left to quickly think through each mating between the female and sdee’al so he could use the scenes to inform his movements, and then he moved.

Lykrosis dragged his hips backwards instead of trying to move the female’s body. He pulled out until just the tip was inside of it and then thrust forward moving all the way back in. He repeated the action over again, and then again and again, until he was able to find an easy rhythm. The entire movement was finally, finally smooth and the feeling… unadulterated bliss.

Growling and trilling filled the hollow; it felt good, everything felt so good: the heat burning its way into him where his claws touched it, the feel of its wet sheath gripping his shaft, and the smooth glide of flesh on flesh as he moved in and out.

The pace he had set was as slow as he was willing to go in an effort not to climax too quickly, but still the pressure built. There was nothing he could do, it just felt too good. His pace quickened as the pressure grew, his thrusts coming faster and faster as he approached climax. He wanted it. He wanted to reach that coveted height and feel the ecstasy as it rolled through him. _Yesss…_ Close, he was close—and the creature yanked itself away from him dislodging his erection from its body completely.

Lykrosis could not contain his angered growl. He had been so close. He did not want to be denied and pulled the creature back towards him intending to bury himself inside it again. The female twisted around and placed one of its claws gently against his chest plate. It was completely flat and a clear indication that it wanted him to stop.

His growling intensified, exasperation growing, but he complied. He removed his claws from its body, remaining completely still and the pressure frustratingly faded away. When he had remained still for enough moments, he assumed the creature understood his intent because it finally moved.

It returned to its original position, but one of its claws reached between its own legs and positioned him at its entrance. Then it raised up, braced itself firmly against the ground, and slammed backwards onto his shaft, hard. Their hips smacked together loudly and a feeling of bliss shot through him. Lykrosis warbled sharply from the intense spike of pleasure and for the first time, the creature cried out for him. That sound caused a hard clenching in his groin and he ached with want.

The female dragged its hips forward frustratingly slow, pausing for what felt like forever with his tip just barely inside, and then crushed itself backwards again. A pleasured groan escaped him and the female cried out again, loud and sharp, which only succeeded in riling him up further.

One more time it repeated this action and then he lost all his patience. He was beyond excited and his desire could not burn any hotter. Lykrosis grabbed it again, all his claws digging in. The unadorned lower claw tore into its flesh releasing trails of lifeblood and he slammed himself inside harder than the female ever could have managed on its own. The resulting sounds of pleasure from them both spurred him on. He pulled all the way out and then jerked his hips forward, maintaining the slow, crushing pace the creature had set.

Two more thrusts and the female’s cries devolved into a continuous, low moaning while its pheromone output slowly rose. The scent was already pulling at him, but the more moments that passed, the stronger it grew and the more he wanted to just drive himself inside as fast as he could. Another drag of his hips outward, sliding against the textured flesh that felt so good surrounding him, and it took all his control not to lose his rhythm.

Dripping trails of bright blue drew his attention. Stark against the white flesh, they mesmerized him, and when that particular scent finally hit him, he lost himself again. His pace sped up, hips thrusting forward faster and faster without losing any of the ferocity.

Soon he was moving as fast and as hard as he could. The sights, the scents, the sounds, everything happening only added to the overwhelming mix of pleasure and desire he was feeling. It was then that the pressure started to build again. His claws grasped the female even harder; this time, he would not let it pull away.

Another thrust and another, his respiration was coming out in quick pants. He was so close. The female’s sheath tightened around him. The flesh released and tightened again, a new rhythmic clenching starting up.

Lykrosis didn’t know if the movement was intentional or reactionary, but, _by the servitors,_ it was more than he could take. He thrust as deep inside the female as he could go and held himself there as he finally finished. His eyes slammed shut of their own accord, pleasured groans and trills escaping him. His erection throbbed spilling warm liquid into the creature. He could feel it filling up the female’s sheath, which only added another layer of stimulation to his already hyper-sensitive shaft.

The pleasure swept through his entire body and he reveled in it. Every clench from the female, every pulse from his own erection, all of it was too much.

Too much, and yet perfect…

He slowly came down from that coveted height, the last few throbs tapering off, and the feeling of satiation took over.

The nuur’az words had been truth; that climax had been more intense and more pleasing than all those that had preceded it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback… please?
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light. This is what Fallen call ghosts.  
> Sdee'al-Hive Knight  
> Klk- Fallen curse word closest to 'shit'  
> Ntr-measure of length. It is equivalent to about a meter.


	6. Gratitude and an Offer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Did you miss me? Well I missed you guys and this story. A two-month break isn’t quite my longest, but it sure felt that way. Anyways, enjoy!

The female’s weight became heavier in his grasp; it must not have been holding itself up anymore.

Lykrosis pulled out and lowered the female to the ground handling it more gently than he ever thought he would. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt… something and didn’t want to just let it collapse against the ground like he had seen happen multiple times with the sdee’al.

After he released it, it simply lie there for a few moments respiring heavily and then as was customary after it had recuperated, the female returned to the pools to clean itself.  He had taken that as his queue, quickly refastening his bio-suit and reattaching his cloak. He intended to clean himself in private after returning to the home caves.

Lykrosis should have left, but he hesitated. Lingering was not something he was accustomed to, leisure even less so, but… he wanted to remain, at least a few more moments. It was unusual but he was content to simply watch the creature.

It was smiling again; it had been since they had finished, and didn’t seem inclined to stop in the near moments. It did not hurry nor were its movements purposeful and efficient. It was calm and sluggish, seemingly enjoying the feel of the water. A few times it looked back at him and its contentedness increased, the smiling taking over its features.

The reaction made Lykrosis feel strange and he found this behavior puzzling. In fact, much of what the nuur’az had said of the past few moments was returning to him and it was all puzzling. He wanted to consider it all now that he was no longer distracted, but a distinct whoosh of air denoted the nuur’az return.

It had floated back down the path from wherever it had gone, pausing to hover between them as it said, “So… how was it?”

Lykrosis was trying to figure out what to say when an abrupt noise from the female cut off his thoughts.

“You laughed!” the nuur’az shouted as it zipped toward the creature as though it had not just addressed him. “But you’ve never laughed out loud before! How…” It didn’t even finish the sentence, choosing instead to scan the female with beams of nuur as it did when sampling other materials. “I… I don’t believe it. There is a change in brain wave activity. I have no idea what it means, but I can see it!”

The female was still smiling and for the first time, its mouth parted and Lykrosis caught a glimpse of what he thought were teeth. The reaction put him on edge; smiling indicated contentedness, he knew, but baring one’s teeth meant aggression in every other creature he had come upon.

This whole scene was confusing. Was the female content or enraged? Why was the nuur’az behaving so erratically? His relaxed state further declined when the nuur’az in question came rushing at him. It stopped just short, enough so that he did not feel the need to react yet, but he did not like this.

“You! You did this. You made her laugh,” and as he watched, it gently dropped downward and bumped itself against his right, upper claw.  Lykrosis was so taken aback, he still didn’t know how to react. “Thank you,” it finally said as it returned to eye level.

It expressed gratitude? _Why?_ Lykrosis was truly confused now. He had done nothing other than mate the creature as he had before and he even knew that he had not made it finish. “I do not understand,” he finally admitted, “The female did not finish.”

The nuur’az laughed. “Of course, you would focus on that. That is not important right now at all. The female told me before that being near you, touching you made her feel better. I didn’t believe her, but it’s true; I just saw it in my scans, the injury to her mind has changed minutely. You are helping her.”

A flurry of movement distracted him. The female had teleported out of the pool directly in front of him and promptly covered itself with its garments. The movements were hurried; something he had never witnessed from the creature before.

“Uh, the female says we must go, she must do something.” The nuur’az switched to their own language for a moment, before speaking to him again, “She also wishes to express gratitude. We offer you a favor; if you ever want or need anything from us, you may ask and we will do our best to give it to you.”

And with that said, they disappeared.

“Are you going to tell me what just happened?” asked the ghost after they had returned to the ship. It had watched the female teleport herself onto the sofa with enough force that it actually creaked as it smashed into the bulkhead.

No answer.

It had been so thrilled with the female’s change and now it was just worried again. The way she had communicated with it in the hollow had a dire sense of urgency. It was not normal for her to rush in such a manner or feel so disconcerted. Something was definitely going on, although, it didn’t seem like it was going to get an answer.

The ghost prompted her again, but she gave no response so it gave up and made its way to the console. There was always more work to do.

Not ten minutes later, it heard its name urgently yelled through its mind.

_Ghost! Ghost come._

“What?!” it said rushing over. It almost started scanning her worried the thing eating away at her had somehow worsened.

_Record._

“Record what?”

 _Record._ The female closed her eyes and appeared to be concentrating very hard on something.

It was thoroughly confused at this point, but waited at the ready nonetheless. After a few more minutes, it was finally flooded with information. The words came pouring out of her without pause like she was rushing to get them all out and it did its best to capture everything.

_Ghost. It, no, he. Name. All name. Guardian. Me, we. Darkness. Stasis. Venus. Pain. Taken, corrupted. Punished. Orb. Fallen. Where. Time. There. Here. Stealth. Guardians. Earth. Event, past. Pain. Darkness. Want. Name. Me. Surrender. Loop. Frigate._

And if that jumble of incoherent thoughts and words wasn’t enough, next it got intense emotions. She cycled through almost everything it could imagine: happiness, anger, confusion, mirth, misery, solemnity, pain, and the list kept going. The initial shifts were jarring, each one felt honestly as if they were the ghost’s own feelings, before they finally became muddled together and abruptly cut out.

The female’s eyes slowly opened, the feeling of urgency gone.

“Well that was certainly interesting, but why did you want me to record all of that? I couldn’t make sense of any of it.”

…

And there it was, the blank stare.

The ghost knew that look, she had forgotten everything. “You don’t remember, do you? You listed off a bunch of words and sent emotions to me; you wanted me to record it all.” The ghost played it back for her and although there was interest, there was no recognition. “I think it’s important. I think you asked me to record it because you want to remember it, to be reminded of it.” Its words sparked even more interest within her and it felt a request to repeat the list again. “I’m going to put them up on this monitor so you can review them whenever you want.”

The female lifted herself off the couch and surveyed the monitor it had transferred the words to. The ghost wasn’t sure if it was the list or its own words that caught her attention, but she moved close to the monitor and although there wasn’t any indication, it knew she was studying them.

It checked on her periodically, brought her her drink, and eventually something to sit on, but her concentration never wavered. It seemed they were going to be in for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Destiny 2 is coming. Woo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so ready. Alas, that also means more lore, which I absolutely love and hate at the same time since it is just more opportunity for Bungie to inadvertently crush this story’s realism. I hate being AU or OOC unintentionally.


	7. We Must Speak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! So, this chapter is a bit longer than the last one and has some good stuff going on. We’ll have to wait and see what comes of all of it. Enjoy and let me know what you guys think!

_Favor._ The entire way back to the home caves, Lykrosis had been thinking through everything that had happened in the hollow, but he kept circling back to this word. He understood its meaning and there were a variety of significant implications associated with it; some, not things he desired.

Fallen did not offer favors lightly nor frequently; mutually beneficial agreements were common as was asserting rank and dominance to get what you wanted, but not favors. They were not given unless one owed another much. The question was, what did it mean to the pair? Despite everything that had happened between them, Lykrosis did not think the pair owed him for anything he had done and that was the problem. Was he doing more than he realized? The nuur’az had said that he was “helping” the female.

He didn’t like that; it seemed wrong somehow, as though he was aiding the enemy.

_Are they the enemy?_

He paused at his own thought. The distinction had always been easy, if one was not fallen, they were an enemy. Why was he wavering now? He remembered the nuur’az touching him, slight and quick, but innocuous. It had touched him like it did the female. It seemed… affable.

Lykrosis rid himself of that line of thinking with a quick shake of his helm. Now he was angry, with himself. He was letting his guard down, which was exactly what he said he would not do when he started interacting with the pair. It was impertinent, bordered on treasonous, and certainly dangerous.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they truly didn’t mean him or his crew any harm, and that brought him back to this favor. What were they actually offering and how much would they truly give? He needed nothing from them, but there were things he wanted to understand, things that had been left unanswered in all their conversing. Or perhaps he should wait on this favor until something more apparent crossed his mind. It was intriguing if nothing else. There were—

“Lykrosis.”

He looked up to find Kreesis standing against the left wall immediately inside the entrance to the home caves.

Lykrosis had been moving mostly on instinct, not paying much attention to his surroundings other than to make sure there were no others in the area when he had passed through the false wall. He was caught off guard by the immediate address and realized that the reaver must have been waiting for him. “Kreesis,” he said issuing a greeting. They often spoke of the crew’s happenings so it wasn’t entirely unexpected that the reaver was there; that was until he noticed the other did not return his greeting.

“Come. We must speak,” he said instead and began moving farther into the cave system.

This put Lykrosis on edge. Kreesis was unusually brusque at the moment and he also had not had a chance to bathe, a foolish mistake. The reaver might catch the creature’s scent on him and that would lead to questions he did not have answers for.

Lykrosis followed behind keeping a larger than normal distance between himself and the other vandal in an effort for the scent to go unnoticed. The reaver did not speak during their walk and Lykrosis could glean nothing from his lower claws; they were being held in check, not a single movement giving away his emotional state.

When they passed by his own quarters, he knew they were most likely going to Kreesis’ and that meant this conversation was not to be interrupted. Unlike him, reavers did not share quarters nor did other fallen have the access codes to enter.

Once inside, Kreesis settled himself next to a console and gestured for Lykrosis to do the same. This behavior was strange, not following previous patterns when they interacted, and his unease increased the longer the reaver remained silent. He just stared. Lykrosis almost would have said he was being evaluated, but for what, he did not know.

“You intend to leave?” the reaver finally said in a voice that expressed displeasure, but also something else that was harder to identify.

“Leave?” Lykrosis repeated confused by what the reaver was asking.

“The crew.”

“No,” he growled wondering where this idea had come from.

“You intend to leave the house?”

“One does not leave their house.”

“There are rumors. New house, this planet’s only satellite. Exiles, traitors.”

Lykrosis warbled surprise and then a trickle of anger crept in. “You question my loyalty?”

The reaver did not reply for many moments, but he finally growled out, “No.” He stood up and turned away, his lower claws flicking rapidly in what was undoubtedly frustration. Kreesis paced the length of the room, which was uncharacteristic of him. “This… confuses,” the other vandal said finally turning back to face him.

Lykrosis himself was confused again. There seemed to be something left unspoken between them and he prompted the reaver for it, “Kreesis, what is occurring?”

“Captain Tyriks ordered you monitored. No reason given. Termination orders were issued, to me, if suspicion is found.” Lykrosis warbled again, this time in outrage; termination orders were only given against traitorous fallen. “Settle. Found nothing. Nothing to report to the captain.”

The words were favorable at least and eased his apprehension; likely then his interactions with the pair had not been discovered. The situation was not favorable though. He had done something to cause suspicion in the captain and he wasn’t sure what it was.

“I know you to be loyal, to the crew, to me. Another must speak against you. There is still danger, we must identify this other.”

It was only then that Lykrosis realized he had unknowingly endangered Kreesis. The captain may not know yet the entirety of the situation, but the likelihood that he would find out was high. Lykrosis had been fooling himself to think otherwise. And when he was, some might question Kreesis effectiveness to not have discovered this, or worse, suggest he was complicit in it.

 _Perhaps…_ perhaps there was another way.

“Kreesis, you are correct; we must speak.”

* * *

The female had remained at the monitor the rest of the day and throughout the night, skipping her chance for sleep, which was rare for her except for when she was in one of her states. This was different though, she wasn’t unresponsive and lost in her own head, she still ate and blinked and moved, she was just… concentrating intensely on these words.

And this reaction thrilled the ghost. Given everything that had happened yesterday, this almost seemed like her brain was behaving differently, perhaps even healthier. Unfortunately, as much as it wanted to leave her be, it needed to interrupt her. Well, it didn’t **need** to, but if it was ever going to get these specific scans, now was the best time to try.

“Hey,” it said floating closer to her.

She didn’t respond.

“Hey,” it tried again, moving in front of the screen to gain her attention. That worked, although it was hit with a flash of irritation, probably due to its interruption. “As much as I love seeing you so interested in something other than sex, can you take a break for a moment? I need to ask you something.”

There was immediate reluctance toward its suggestion but a feeling of exhaustion abruptly registered as well. Without the extreme focus on the words to distract her from it, she registered the many hours she had spent sitting there all at once. Her whole body went limp, sagging into the chair as though the atmosphere was suddenly bearing down on her harder than before. She needed a break.

The ghost teleported a goblet of fresh nutritional supplement onto the console beside her. She reached for it instinctually although her arm moved sluggishly. Downing half the liquid in one swig, the female pulled her legs up onto the chair and lent more heavily into it, finally relaxing.   

“Feel better?”

_Yes._

“Good. I need to take some scans.”

It felt a little playfulness from her with the thought, _more._

The ghost laughed. “Yes, more scans. These will be a little different though. I need you to try to speak to me.”

_Speak?_

“Not aloud. I mean, I would love it if you spoke aloud, but I know you can’t. What I’m hoping is that you can use your voice in my mind, speak to me with real words instead of sending the words as text or as feelings and images.” It got an initial feeling of confusion and then curiosity. “I’m working on something. You don’t have to worry about it and I’m not going to tell you because I don’t want to get your hopes up that it will work because it probably won’t. This is going to be a really complex mechanism. If I make any progress though, I’ll let you know, but to do that, I really need those scans. Can you please try?”

_Yes._

With that affirmation, the ghost waited and the female presumably tried. Minutes passed, then an hour, and finally another, but nothing ever came of it. She sat there, mind and body quiet, but no words ever whispered through its mind and there was no indication that there would be any time soon.

It was disappointed, but not deterred. Perhaps more interactions with the vandal would continue to show progress in her mental state and then it would ask her to try again. “That’s okay,” it finally said gaining her attention and letting her know she could stop. She sent it apologies, but it waved them away with its optimistic demeanor and words, “Don’t dwell on it. You’re already doing better and that’s more than I could ever have hoped for. You were right about the fallen. Anyways, we can try again in a few days after you have seen him again. For now, let me just get some scans of you thinking at me like you normally do. Send me as much as you can.”

_Okay._

“Great.”

_Ghost?_

“Yes?” it said distractedly as it prepared to take deep scans of her brain waves when she started thinking.

_Thank you._

“For what?”

_Everything._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody want to guess what Lykrosis next move is? ;)
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light. This is what Fallen call ghosts.


	8. Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews as I appreciate everyone who takes the time to give me their thoughts. I don’t have much to say about this chapter; at this point we’re just moving right along, so hopefully you enjoy and I’ll have the next out soon.

“You believe the nuur’az words,” the reaver finally asked after remaining silent for many, many moments.

Lykrosis had described, in detail, everything that had occurred between himself and the pair. It was a risk to divulge what sounded very much like treason, but he was loyal to Kreesis and had always felt the same from the reaver in return. At the very least, he believed the other vandal would allow him to explain and consider the situation before making another report to the captain. “I am skeptical, always. I have found no untruths yet.”

“It speaks so freely. Information could prove useful.”

“Information is useful. Last City, hu’ins. Weak creatures they are. Strategically viable target.”

“You forget, information is hierarchal. Much of this the captain may know.”

“I do not forget. The captain, yes. However, we know. We have advantage over others. Easier to increase rank, class.”

“This may be truth. No more or less, the information is intriguing, helpful.”

“Perhaps more. Perhaps some the captain does not know.”

“Perhaps.” The reaver repeated quietly as though he were not convinced. “This… mating perplexes. You enjoy it?”

“It is… pleasing. I am wary. However, touching the female…” and his words trailed off. Lykrosis wasn’t even sure how to describe the feeling or if he did, how Kreesis would interpret the words.

“Your pheromone output increases. The composite, unusual,” said Kreesis as he scented the air in Lykrosis direction.

“Mating pheromones, I surmise. The female releases them, the scent is beyond enticing.”

“Thinking of mating causes their release?”

“I had not noticed previously, yes.”

“Advise not considering mating around others.”

“Sound advice.”

Kreesis didn’t speak for many moments after that. The rapid twitching of his lower claws indicated he was thoroughly considering everything they had discussed. He looked Lykrosis over once and awhile and scented him a few times while he thought. “What you desire, Lykrosis? From this situation, from me.”

“The pair, information prove useful, valuable. I wish to discover much, report all to the captain. Earn respect and status, for us. Honor for the crew.”

“You believe them that valuable.”

“I need more moments, more evidence. Prove useful or not, hostile or not. This I seek from you.” When Kreesis did not reply for many more moments again, Lykrosis finally admitted, “It offered a favor.” He had been withholding this fact because there were too many implications of a ‘favor’, but he knew it would also make Kreesis curious. 

“Favor? What you gave them to offer this?”

“I know not. I am wary. However, I admit curiosity.”

“It is unexpected.”

“Agreed. I know not what to request.”

“You over think, always. You attempted to follow their movements, yes? Request to view their lair.” Kreesis seemed to think better of his words. “I speak as though you will return. You place me unfairly, Lykrosis. Loyalty to you or the crew.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps it is the same. Words are not enough,” he finally said getting to the point he had always intended to make, “You will accompany me, after this next patrol. You will interact with the pair. Decide for yourself.”

Kreesis seemed surprised at the suggestion and then thoughtful. The pacing started up, his lower claws twitching again. This lasted for many moments, each one all the more important. Lykrosis needed the reaver to understand his logic, to agree with him about the pair’s potential usefulness. Not only did he see the chance to redeem his own shame and bring honor to his crew, but his existence depended on this now.

The reaver growled loudly. “I will accompany you,” he said his lower claws flicking in acceptance even though his voice suggested resignation.

“This is advantageous.”

“For you. Your curiosity will destroy us all,” Kreesis stated sarcastically.

Lykrosis’ previous apprehension had finally eased with the reaver’s agreement and he allowed himself to laugh.

* * *

The vandal was not yet at the hollow when they arrived. The female lounged on top of a boulder while they waited, her mind wonderfully active. The ghost was getting all kinds of emotions and sensations from her as she took in her surroundings. The heat from the sun, the chill of the frost beneath her, the heaviness of the air from the top most layer of the pools evaporating. Insects and small animals moving about, their mini-scale worlds full of life. All of it was a torrent of thoughts as they entered her mind and fascinated her as though she was experiencing it all for the first time.

And perhaps she was.

Her mind had always functioned and she was extremely intelligent. The female knew so much about the universe that she honestly shouldn’t know or understand, but somehow, she did. Often, she would make connections seemingly out of nowhere and yet they always turned out to be correct.

The problem was, she forgot so much. It was as though her mind was dampened or slowly being sucked away. Experiences, thoughts, feelings. They came and went, sometimes with perfect clarity and other times as a blur, barely registering.

The memories from before they had met on Mars were the most affected. Everything that made her whoever she had been before was locked away, like this thing inside was trying to erase her completely. She couldn’t remember any of it as far as it knew. The new experiences were better retained, but she still went through periods where it seemed like portions of those were taken from her as well.

But now, right now, the female was experiencing everything so clearly and it was making her so happy. That particular emotion was a strong chord running beneath every other as she gazed at the landscape. There was recognition as well; she could tell the difference, the change in her own mental state as she experienced things anew.

The arrival of the vandal brought an instant shift in her focus. She was happy to see him and excited, very excited. The flickers of thought were loud to it as she scrutinized him. His form, his armor, and the bright crimson of his house. She liked it all, was attracted to it all. The female dismounted the boulder wanting to be closer, to capture his scen—

The transmissions abruptly cut off and she stopped moving. Something had caught her attention, but now she was blank. It didn’t know what was going on, but something was wrong. Before it could prompt her for the cause, another vandal a little behind and to the left of the first decloaked.

The ghost backed away from the fallen; it didn’t like this. Why was this vandal here? What did they want? Was the whole crew coming next? This situation had turned from familiar to dangerous in a matter of seconds. The ghost silently urged the female to retreat, now.

It felt her hesitancy and curiosity. “Now is not the time to be curious,” it said quietly. She ignored it as her curiosity doubled. She was scrutinizing them both now and the ghost finally understood why: the female couldn’t tell them apart. Without the scent, which was currently being blown away from them, she could only observe them visually and they were identical. Their helms, armor, cloaks, weaponry, all the same. Their forms, the height, shoulder span, arm length, also all the same. 

The ghost had never been this close to multiple fallen of the same class before, let alone those that weren’t moving about trying to kill it, but she was right. Except for slight variations in damage and wear to their armor, they were exactly the same.

The only reason the ghost could tell the difference was because the vandal in front was much calmer than the second. While he still held his shock blades, they were lightly grasped and lowered whereas the other was in a defensive stance ready for an attack at any moment. Vandal number one was the one they had been interacting with this whole time.

Strange though, the ghost thought to itself. Were all vandals identical? That seemed highly improbable. Perhaps these two were related?

It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered at this point was what they wanted.

“This is unfavorable. Location is exposed,” said the second vandal.

“Unfavorable is a word for it,” said the ghost moving closer to the female to which it received an aggressive warble. “What is going on here? Why have you brought another vandal?”

“Unimportant. We shall converse, yes? Then we will mate.”

Wait… we? Did the vandal think… “Hey! Is that what you brought him here for? The female is not some toy you can just pass around to all your friends.” The ghost had moved closer in its anger, too familiar with the vandal to remember and forgetting to exercise caution. It recognized that error when vandal number two tensed, its shock blades drawing up higher.

“What mean these ‘toy’, ‘friends’?” the first said as though nothing else was happening.

The ghost was just about done with this situation. It didn’t even want to answer this presumptuous vandal. How could he think—

_Ghost._

“What?”

_Ask._

“Ask what?”

_Important. Why._

“The female says it is important and she wants to know why you brought the other vandal.”

“The reaver will observe, conversation, mating.”

“Observe. So, you do not expect her to mate the other vandal?”

The vandal did not say anything for a moment making the ghost wonder what was up. “This was not considered,” he finally said much to the ghost’s relief. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop there. “The idea has merit,” he continued turning toward the other. More quietly he added, “Perhaps you should mate the female.”

“What?! No,” shouted the ghost a little too forcefully as it realized it had made the situation worse.

Both vandals returned their gaze to the ghost, probably surprised by its outburst. The first asked, “The female declines mating the reaver?”

The ghost went to say of course she did and then stopped itself. It certainly hoped she would decline, but now **it** was the one being presumptuous. The female had been relatively silent and blank since the second vandal had decloaked compared to her excited stated from before. It hadn’t been paying as much attention to her reaction to this situation as it probably should have, but it did float up to her eye level and asked, “Do you want to mate with the other vandal as well?”

Her answer was difficult to interpret; it felt undecided, almost confused. She wasn’t outright against the idea, but she also didn’t affirm it either.

“As glad as I am that you are not rearing to do another one, I think they are looking for a Yes or No.”

_He wants?_

“She wants to know if the reaver wants to mate.”

“I will observe first.”

“You will desire it,” the first said.

The second vandal made a noise that might have been disbelieving, but the ghost couldn’t be certain. “Touching the… female, the idea, does not enthuse.”

“So that’s a no. Good. Now that that is settled, we also want an agreement. This is an unexpected change and we are outnumbered, unfavorably. If we do not turn hostile, then neither of you turn hostile.”

“Agreed,” said the first almost immediately. The second vandal took a bit longer, and first asked if they could be trusted to honor this, but he eventually agreed as well.

“Okay, so you said you want to converse first then?”

“We will converse after. I desire to mate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Anybody have any opinions on Kreesis yet?
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light. This is what Fallen call ghosts.


	9. Foreplay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! I’m back and with smexy times! Lol. Well you probably surmised that from how the last chapter ended, but if anyone was doubtful, this chapter is here to give everybody that fallen x femme smut fix you have all been craving.
> 
> Chapter Warning/Tags/Kinks-Interspecies sex, consensual sex, rough sex, heterosexual sex

Lykrosis should have agreed with the nuur’az in that they would converse first, but he was admittedly eager to mate again. Since their last encounter he could not stop himself from thinking about the female and her warm, supple flesh. His attention had been focused elsewhere: speaking with Kreesis, cleaning his weapons and armor, repairing a few damaged shanks, but inevitably it always wandered back to mating.

He knew he should be concentrating on convincing Kreesis of the pair’s usefulness and intentions; however, right now, being in the creature’s presence, scenting it, he just wanted to touch it. The knowledge that only its thin fabrics stood between him and its soft body had his claws flexing in anticipation already. He wanted to run them along its flesh, scratching and grasping, to feel its warm body pressed up against his own. He wanted to hear its screams and moans as he pleasured it and took his own pleasure in turn.

This was the first time since coming to the hollow that the thought of touching the female did not fill him with reticence. Perhaps the pleasure of their last encounter was affecting his judgement or maybe even Kreesis’ presence here had him feeling less threatened and more secure. He didn’t know, but the pull was strong. Belatedly, he found himself already stripping the gauntlets from his lower claws on instinct in preparation to touch her.

“What is this, the female is doing?” Kreesis asked pulling him out of his own distracted thoughts.

The female had not moved since the reaver had decloaked, the only noticeable change being in her expression, which must be what he was referring to. “Smiling, I explained previously. The female is made content by something.”

“She is pleased with your words,” interjected the nuur’az in explanation. “The female would prefer to mate first and speak after as well. She says she is eager to feel your claws wrapped around her.”

Lykrosis couldn’t help himself, a low growl erupted from him and there was a hard clenching in his groin; the female’s words emulated exactly what he wanted to do in that moment. He took a reactionary step forward but paused at the loud warble of surprise from Kreesis.

“The female speaks this? Disregards its safety. Claws could shred its flimsy armor, without difficulty.”

Lykrosis wasn’t sure how to respond, but the nuur’az replied first anyways.

“Oh, come on, don’t make me say that,” it said in their own language. After a moment of silence, it made another noise, the one that sounded like heat expulsion, and continued in E’lik, “She was thinking more of your claws on her bare flesh, but she thinks she would rather like you tearing the clothes off her body first.”

Kreesis let out another surprised warble, but Lykrosis barely acknowledged it, his focus entirely on the female now. He wasn’t sure why exactly, but the idea of clawing at her, tearing this clothing apart to reveal her bare flesh was… pleasing. “The female, ready to mate?” he asked, not wanting to wait any more moments.

“Yes,” replied the little machine as the creature knelt. “I will provide direction.”

“Direction is not needed, Nuur’az,” said Lykrosis with a touch of irritation. Did it question his intelligence? He was not some lowly dreg to need instruction repeatedly for the same action. Besides, he had made the female cry out during their last encounter; that should have been proof enough that he understood how to mate.

“Pfft, yeah, because explaining sex to an alien is what I really want to be doing with my time.”

Was the little machine talking to itself again? Lykrosis wasn’t sure but it continued before he had enough moments to consider it.

“You may think that, but there is still much for you to learn about mating. The female wants me to explain some new things to you, particularly the concept of foreplay, and then I will be happy to stop talking and let you take it from there.”

“What means this, ‘fore’lay’?” he questioned as he approached the female with Kreesis following behind albeit at a respectable distance. Lykrosis didn’t doubt the reaver’s own reticence at this point, but he also didn’t doubt the affect the mating would have on him either. The scents and sounds were… intoxicating; they inspired a feeling too close to that of the hunt for them not to affect him.

“I’ll explain in a minute.” The nuur’az paused, most likely receiving a transmission from the female before stating, “She wants you to kneel behind her as close as possible if you are agreeable.”

Lykrosis moved to comply with only a fleeting sense of hesitation. They had an agreement and the position would put the female at a disadvantage should she be looking to attack despite it, particularly with Kreesis present.  Besides, of the positions they had mated in, he had favored taking her from behind. Not only did it put her beneath him, but taking her that way stirred something carnal within him, a basic need to dominate and control.

While he was settling himself behind her, the female removed her outer layer of this clothing until she was left only in the two under pieces. The upper piece, which he had previously seen only from the front, had clasps on the back that held it on. The lower piece was very thin and only covered the middle of her backside. Lykrosis couldn’t help scoffing as he always did whenever he thought of how impractical these fabrics all were.

“Okay, so how to explain this,” the nuur’az began. “Mating can entail a variety of things, but generally there are three main parts: ‘Foreplay’ is everything that happens before intercourse, which is when your waste organ is inside of the female—and that does not sound even remotely attractive. Do the fallen have another term for the waste organ? I can’t keep calling it that.”

“No other name. It is a waste organ,” replied Lykrosis.

“Well, that’s… unfortunate. How about from now on we refer to it as a ‘dick’. That’s what we call it, much sexier.”

“Dick,” he said aloud, trying out the pronunciation. He liked this word; it was harsh and much easier to pronounce than many other words in the pair’s language.

“Exactly. Getting back to the point, the purpose of foreplay is to arouse and build anticipation.”

“What means this, ‘arouse’?”

“Arousal is the desire and excitement felt specifically in regard to mating. Arousal is accompanied by distinct physical changes; in the male, the dick becomes erect, and in the female, her body heats and becomes wet, which allows her to take the male inside without hurting her.”

Lykrosis considered this concept, arousal. The nuur’az explanation seemed logical and in addition to what it stated, this must also be what caused the production and release of pheromones. That was why the creature’s scent output increased when it desired mating. _Not just the creature,_ he thought remembering Kreesis’ previous comments on his own pheromone output; thinking of mating was causing arousal in his body as well. “How, fore’lay performed?”

“Well that’s up to the pair involved, but you can do anything really, anything that excites you both. Touching each other, rubbing sensitive areas, licking, kissing, biting, things like that.”

“Biting?” Lykrosis repeated. It was one of the only terms he understood, but more than that, it was the one that captured his interest the most.

“Uh, yes. Some individuals like to bite, and others like to be bitten, when it’s done correctly of course.”

“The female, desires biting?” he asked.

In the same moment Kreesis questioned, “How one bites incorrectly?” as though the idea was nonsensical.

“During mating, certain actions like biting and clawing, are performed, but without the intention to actually cause damage. You saw the female and sdee’al mating; she likes to be handled roughly and that includes biting and scratching, but with the knowledge that he wasn’t trying to hurt her. No real injuries occurred, only minor abrasions to her skin.”

This was truth; Lykrosis had noted himself the sdee’al uncharacteristically gentle ministrations the first time he had witnessed their mating. He understood now that the grappling had been the pair’s foreplay, which begged the question, what did she desire from him? Were they to grapple? Did the female desire biting from him?

A light brush against his exposed, lower claws caught his attention.

The female’s own claws gently grabbed his and drew them forward; the left she placed against her hip and the right to her front, pressing flat against her lower abdomen. Then she leaned backwards slowly, pressing her whole body along the front of his.

The female was touching him, her entire body was touching him. Lykrosis surprised himself when there was no thought to still or warn her off, only… that he liked having her there.

It was the heat, it was always the heat. Never had he touched so much of the female’s body all at once, and right now, it was… scorching. The heat radiated from her, bleeding through wherever they touched, and he was drawn to it, his cooler body reveling in the feel of the warmth spreading through him.

The female smiled at him and then gently pushed his claw lower until it rested against the edge of her fabric.

Lykrosis did not need further prompting to understand what she desired. His claw slid under the fabric, one digit moving between her folds, searching for the nub that controlled her pleasure. He applied just enough pressure as he had learned previously and flicked back and forth rapidly.

Just as before, the reaction was not instant. Many moments passed before the female showed that his rubbing was having any effect, a quiet moan finally escaping her.

“Now find something to do with your upper claws too,” said the nuur’az, drawing his attention back to the entire situation instead of solely on the creature. “You’ve got four, use them.”

Lykrosis wasn’t sure what to do with them since he already touched the female between her legs, but he moved them to her waist nonetheless. More heat would only be pleasing.

However, the female had other ideas. Her claws once again grabbed his and slid them upward until they encircled the mounds on her chest.

He remembered then that the nuur’az had stated the female was sensitive here as well. Again, he wasn’t sure what to do, but decided to start with grasping them as he had witnessed the sdee’al do. The flesh was supple, yet firm and it issued greater resistance the more pressure he applied. Lykrosis let up and rubbed his digits along the centered areas where she was supposedly most sensitive. After only a few passes, he felt the flesh perk up against his covered digits.

The female’s head fell backwards against his shoulder, eyes closed, and another quiet moan escaped her. The reaction was telling, she definitely liked that.

Lykrosis experimented with the female’s sensitive zones. He alternated between squeezing the mounds of flesh and rubbing the centered areas while his lower claw flicked relentlessly against the nub. His remaining claw stayed at her hip, scratching at the delicate flesh but not digging in yet.

The female shifted again, this time her face turning toward him, and her eyes opened slowly. They stayed lidded as though it were an effort to open them and he recognized this expression; the female was pleasured but not overwhelmed.   

Lykrosis lifted his gaze from looking down her body to her face. He had been able to see her well enough from the periphery, but for whatever reason, he desired to watch her more closely while he pleasured her. Their eyes met and in that moment, he felt so drawn to her. The scent of her tendrils, floral and sweet, mixed with that of her skin and sharp pheromones to entrance him further. His gaze roamed her features, memorizing every flutter and twitch, and all the while he continued his ministrations, waiting for a signal that her climax was approaching.

It came as it had previously, or so he assumed, when her hips started to move. They pressed downward, alternately applying more pressure and then backing off. Her entire body flexed with the movement, tensing up as she pressed downward and relaxing as she let up. Her little moans were coming more frequently, and her claws clenched at the open air.

Lykrosis saw the most curious thing then, something, and he truly had no idea what, flashed out of her mouth so quickly he almost missed it. It was followed immediately by her upper teeth, which overlapped the lower part of her mouth and pressed downward.

What was the female doing? Was she cannibalizing herself?

The teeth were gone almost as quickly as they had come and seemingly without damaging her in any way.

He didn’t have any moments to consider this strange action because the female’s body tensed and her respiration momentarily stuttered. Her right claw shot to the forearm of the claw he had between her legs and the other behind his helm. He should have been worried by the placement, but she only pulled him closer as her release finally took her.

Head slamming backwards, she shivered and moaned. Claws dug into him, although not enough to pierce, and the female pressed her whole body harder against him, hips still moving in that same rhythm. Her backside, which had barely been touching him before, pressed firmly into his groin.

The movement of her hips and added pressure against his waste organ was enough to make him groan even through his bio-suit. He pulled her in against him even harder desiring to feel more. The movement brought her exposed neck closer to his ether mask and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight.

He wanted to bite her. He wanted to sink his teeth into that taut flesh, to taste the lifeblood that taunted him just beneath the surface.

A moment more and he might have, but the female moved again. Her head shifted, and she ended with her face just barely pressed against his own, obscuring his previous view of her glistening flesh.

As her release tapered off, she whimpered, body and claws becoming listless. She tried to retreat backwards, probably trying to escape the sensitivity the nuur’az had mentioned before, but their position had her trapped.

Lykrosis let up, pulling out from between her legs, but the knowledge that he had her trapped there… incited a new feeling. It was like a combination of his hunting instincts and this arousal were warring within him and riling him up in a way he had never felt.

The female was stirring, and he was trying to give her moments to recover, but he wanted her **now.** He undid the panels of his bio-suit while simultaneously encouraging her to bend over with claws at her waist and shoulder. She moved willingly and when she was in position he pressed himself up against her wet opening. She felt so hot already, the anticipation was almost unbearable.

“It submits to you, without fighting,” Kreesis said jolting him.

Lykrosis had honestly forgotten he was there, his mind focused only on mating the female. That fact disturbed him enough to clear some of the haze and his awareness flooded back.

As much as he enjoyed mating the female, he should not be allowing that desire to affect him so readily. He should have been interacting with Kreesis more, ensuring that the reaver would understand his reasonings when their encounter with the pair was over.

He took in Kreesis’ position, noting that he had moved closer to the scene, although not within reach of the female. He chittered almost imperceptibly, which along with his flexing claws, denoted his excitement. The reaver was audibly scenting the air and Lykrosis was well aware of the pervasiveness of the female’s pheromones after she climaxed. They saturated the receptors and left one with difficulty trying to focus on anything else.

The mating was affecting Kreesis just as he knew it would. Lykrosis intended to respond to his statement, but the female chose that moment to fully recover. She looked at him over her shoulder and then, eyes still on his, lowered her upper body to the ground, submitting even further.

Lykrosis and Kreesis both growled loudly in response. Did the female understand what she had just done?

Lykrosis was not certain, but he also could not care less in that moment. All his claws found purchase on her lithe form, holding her in place, while he buried himself inside her with one hard thrust.

Her face contorted in pleasure as she cried out exactly how he desired, and by the servitors, did she feel so good.

He didn’t start slow, he couldn’t have even if he wanted to, not with this overwhelming need riding him. Instead he held her still and rammed into her heated body with haste and fervor, the feeling absolute bliss. The female was so tight and wet around him, the inner flesh silky and strangely textured as it rubbed against the entirety of his length.

The more moments he moved, the slicker and hotter she became. Her body loosened up minutely allowing him to move more freely, which he took advantage of. His movements sped up, hips pistoning forward and back in a rhythmic slap of armor to flesh. He increased his ferocity as well, no longer holding her still, but yanking the female back against him with each thrust.

His trills of pleasure were almost quiet compared to the female’s shouted bliss. She moaned continuously and every few moments she would cry out, eyes flashing and claws scrabbling at the dry soil below.

Lykrosis’ pride flared with his arousal; he was causing the female to experience such pleasure and in turn she boasted his prowess with each noise that was torn from her throat. Again and again he moved inside of her, each pass adding to his overwhelming pleasure.

He did not desire the mating to end too quickly, but he recognized the growing pressure in his groin for what it was.

As always, the female was aware of his approaching climax as well. She started to pull against his might, forcing him to grasp her tighter in his efforts not to lose that perfect rhythm. It seemed the female was not ready for it to be over either.

Lykrosis willed his hips to slow although it did nothing to stop the build of his climax. If he could not last more moments, then perhaps he could increase the female’s pleasure while it lasted.

This time, he would make her finish.

Lykrosis yanked the female back upright. The new position slowed his thrusts even more and lessened their force, which was an unintended but welcome consequence. His lower claws remained on her hips, but the others he used to search out her sensitive areas. If the female enjoyed her breasts and the nub being rubbed before, then logically it followed she would enjoy it during their actual mating as well.

It didn’t take many moments for him to understand he had made the right choice. The female’s cries came more frequently, and her own claws moved to cover his, pressing them harder into her flesh. She writhed against him and her hips started their own thrusting just as they always did when she was close.

Lykrosis had a moment of triumph before a growl was unexpectedly torn from him. “Klk,” he said aloud unable to contain himself. Not only was the female’s scent surrounding him again now that she was so close, but the rhythmic clenching of her sheath had started up as it had the last time they mated. As before, he did not know if the female controlled this action or not, but it was more than he could take.

Two more thrusts and he reached his peak. The pressure that had been building since the start was finally released and a torrent of pleasure streaked through him. His arms clamped down around the female, crushing her against him as he trilled his ecstasy into the air.

His waste organ throbbed, spilling warm fluid into the female even as he continued his frenzied thrusting. The liquid filled her up, surrounding him, and it added another layer of stimulation to his overloaded body.

He started to come down, his trills quieting with the ebbing of the pleasure, but in that same moment, the female finally finished.

Lykrosis could never have imagined what her pleasure would feel like around him. The entire sheath rippled, crushing down tighter and hotter than he had ever felt. Her body arched against him, shivering and writhing, while she screamed wordlessly.

The knowledge that he had finally made the female scream for him and the rippling against his overly sensitive shaft were too much. He groaned helplessly at the renewed pleasure desiring it to never end and be over in the same moment.

However, nothing about it was quick. While the female’s screams died away, still she whimpered and spasmed both inside and out. It was not difficult to understand why she had desired him not to finish too quickly; her climax was more intense even than his own.

When it was finally over, his respiration was still heavy, but the feeling of satiation and contentment settled in. The female mirrored him; her respiration just as labored and expression a broad smile. She had grown heavy in his grasp as she was prone to do after mating.

Lykrosis held her for a few more moments before pulling out and lowering her to the ground. He knew she would be content to lie there while she recovered from her exertions and he needed to speak with Kreesis anyways. Even though he had explained everything about mating beforehand, undoubtedly, the reaver would have questions.

After closing his bio-suit with the thought that he required a thorough washing, he approached Kreesis. The reaver’s gaze was still on the creature’s prone form and within a ntr, Lykrosis scented both hunting pheromones and those of arousal. Of this, he was not surprised. He recalled the first mating he had witnessed and the desired mixed with curiosity he had felt that had led him not to destroy the creature. While a bit more reserved than him, Kreesis often thought and reacted similarly, which he was counting on in this instance.

“There is confliction,” said the reaver, obviously not sure what to think of the pair and mating.

“This is expected.”

“Nuur’az left.” There was a slight chitter of curiosity with the words as he finally drew his eyes away from the creature.

“Always it leaves during mating. I know not why. It will return quickly.”

“We must speak.”

“What of the favor?”

“No. We must speak first.”

As he had stated, the nuur’az returned quickly, floating down the path towards them. “I would ask how it went, but the female has been screaming words of encouragement in my mind for the past ten minutes, so I already have a pretty good idea.” It flew past them and scanned the female’s now sitting form with nuur, which Lykrosis had seen it do before, but he knew not for what exact purpose. The process was quick although the little machine lingered on her head for many more moments than elsewhere. “The female is tired and requires nourishment, so we will not be able to remain for long. What did you wish to discuss?”

“Nothing in this moment. We must leave.”

“Okay, tomorrow then?”

“This means following next patrol, yes?”

“Yes.”

Lykrosis looked to Kreesis. He knew the reaver was conflicted, but they should provide an answer and whether they returned or not was up to him. After many moments of waiting, the reaver gave him the response he needed to see, although the reluctance was obvious. “We will return.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…? Did you like it? I liked it, no, actually I loved it! This is the first time where I really felt like I got to show their budding relationship, not just smut. It wasn’t exactly romantic, but still there is a different feeling here than there was in previous scenes. I hope you guys felt the same.
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light. This is what Fallen call ghosts.  
> Sdee'al-Hive Knight  
> Klk- Fallen curse word closest to 'shit'  
> Ntr-measure of length. It is equivalent to about a meter.  
> Nuur-guardian light


	10. Phase 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Enjoy!

Kreesis was still unsure of what to think about the pair or this mating. Many times he had returned to the hollow with Lykrosis and still he was just as confused and just as conflicted.

That first time, he had been understandably perturbed by the whole event. Even with Lykrosis explaining everything to him beforehand, he had not been prepared for anything that had come about. That Lykrosis would willingly touch the female without concern had bothered him greatly as he had thought to see more reticence, more hesitance.

However, nothing had bothered him more so than his own desire.

It was wrong, and he had said as much as soon as they had returned to the home caves. The conversation between them had been brief, mostly just him admonishing Lykrosis harshly about all this foolishness, and when he was done with that, he had left so he could think. He had needed the space to separate what Lykrosis had told him from what he had witnessed and how he had felt.

That had taken awhile.

At first, he had thought it would have been better to never have known Lykrosis for the other vandal had placed a heavy burden on him with this knowledge. He was asking him to choose loyalty to him over that of the crew without sufficient reason. Despite whatever Lykrosis had thought, they still did not know anything about the pair or their intentions. This could very well be some sort of trap set by the nuur’khu and despite Lykrosis insisting he was just as suspicious and just as cautious, it had not appeared that way to him.

Lykrosis and the female had left themselves so vulnerable and seemingly with no thought or hesitation. It was illogical, and that was very unlike Lykrosis. Which made him wonder what Lykrosis could possibly be experiencing during the action that would justify this.

That question alone had been enough to justify to himself why he was not reporting this immediately to the captain. He had wanted to understand this mating and this pair. He had wanted to understand the strange desire he had felt; a conclusion, he figured, that must have been the same one to which Lykrosis had come.

And for that reason, he had accompanied Lykrosis back to the hollow again.

Each time after that first, they had conversed prior to Lykrosis and the female mating. Kreesis had questioned the pair extensively, both asking questions he knew Lykrosis had already asked to check for consistency in the answers as well as new topics he himself was curious about. He learned so much more than he had ever thought possible about this planet and the hu’ins, but the problem was, he had no idea if any of it was true.

To the extent possible, he verified the information using their archive for reference and he had not found any discrepancies, which he found surprising. Seemingly the pair had not told him any untruths, but if not to deceive, then why give up this information so freely?

He had no answer for that, only that the more moments this went on and the more he learned, the more he admitted to himself that the pair did not seem hostile. Their actions always seemed to be consistent with their words, innocuous.

It was strange.

Granted, the whole situation was strange, particularly the behavior.

Kreesis watched, for that was all he had to do in those moments. He watched Lykrosis and the female; he saw the changes. The more times they had come, the more easily Lykrosis interacted with the female. He lost caution and suspicion, what little there had been of it.

The creature, he had been told, had never had qualms about physical interaction and now, he noted, it seemed neither did Lykrosis. Claws slid and scratched and wandered much more readily. Bodies entwined more closely, more freely, and stayed together for more moments.

There was an eagerness in the other vandal that Kreesis had never seen before and he wasn’t certain how to feel about this development.

He had come to realize that Lykrosis enjoyed these moments with the creature, truly enjoyed them, and that was rare. Fallen society was harsh and unforgiving. The strong excelled and the weak were forgotten or disposed of. Since he had been spawned it had been this way and Kreesis could not pinpoint many moments in which he had truly enjoyed himself. There were many moments when he felt pleased: besting a foe, hunting and consuming a kill, being made a reaver, but these moments were small and fleeting. They were nothing compared with the open contentment that seemed to surround Lykrosis most always when they were together now.

And deep within him, he also realized he envied Lykrosis that feeling.

All that knowledge had led him to this moment, crouched in the hollow watching Lykrosis mate the female, and part of him wanted to experience this too, whatever it was. The more times he had come here, the more his resistance to the idea had faded. Kreesis wasn’t sure what he may actually think once the idea of touching the female was no longer just that, an idea. However, for now, he could no longer deny that mating was something that he wanted to do, at least once.

* * *

“What do you think he wants?”

_Who?_

“The other vandal or… the first vandal. I don’t know. What do you think they are trying to accomplish by having the other vandal there?” Ghost honestly could not figure out why the first vandal had brought the second.

_Curiosity?_

“Maybe. That’s definitely what lured the first one in, but, I just don’t feel like that is it. He mostly asks the same questions as the first when we are conversing, which is strange to me since you would figure the first would have relayed all that information to the other by now. Maybe the second one discovered what the first was up to and demanded to see what was really going on?” it asked although the question was more rhetorical.

_Friends?_

“Pfft. I don’t think I can even say the words ‘fallen’ and ‘friends’ seriously in the same sentence. I’m pretty sure that’s a human concept.” Ghost waited, but it didn’t receive any more prompts after that. The female probably hadn’t the faintest idea why the other vandal was there either. It was a bit suspicious, well, more than a bit.

Each time the female mated a new species, Ghost feared that each meeting was another opportunity for them to be ambushed. It had happened before, but usually fairly quickly after the first time. The vandal had returned often enough, that that particular worry had left its mind. Until, suddenly there were two vandals in the hollow instead one, and the fear resurfaced.

Yet, so far, nothing had changed. They conversed, the female mated the first vandal, and then they left. So again, why was the second vandal there? Since that first day, they had not broached the subject again of the female mating both of them, which it was thankful for. However, Ghost had a nagging feeling that the longer this went on, the more likely it was that it would come up again.

Ghost sighed. Was it ever going to get some answers instead of more questions? “I’ll keep thinking about it, but more importantly, we also need to discuss phase 2 of this plan.”

_Phase 2?_

“Yeah, that’s the point, what is phase 2? We have been at this for a while and I am exuberant that it is helping you, don’t get me wrong, but I still have no idea where we are going with this.”

_No plan._

“You don’t have a plan? I thought you had this all figured out and it was all a part of some master plan to fix yourself.” Ghost got a feeling of rejection. Nope, definitely no master plan going on in that brain of hers. “Well this is never going to work then. We can’t keep this up forever. The situation is too precarious; there are too many variables, which all lead to either us or them being discovered and somebody ending up dead.”

_Will know._

Will know? What did that mean? “Can you elaborate, please?”

_Feeling better. Will know._

This time, Ghost felt more assuredness related to the future, that the better she felt, the more she understood. There would be planning. “So, you’re saying you don’t have a plan right now because you are not well enough to have one? You have to get better and then you will know what to do next?”

_Yes._

“Uh huh. That’s flimsy as hell. You do know that, right?”

 _Yes,_ and there was humor behind that word.

“Seriously, you are never worried about anything. It is amazing and at the same time, insufferably frustrating.” Smiling, that’s what it received, not that it was surprised. “Whatever. Come sit down and let me get some scans. If the whole plan rides on you feeling better, we better damn well make sure you are actually getting better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…?
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'khu-literally means lightwielders. This is what Fallen call guardians.


	11. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! So, I kept seeing this idea play out in a specific order of events, but after speaking with my bestie (many thanks Rogue!), I realized that I could change up the order of events and not really affect the story. So, awesomely, we are getting much farther into the story much faster than I thought possible and I’m thrilled about it. The plot thickens!

“No,” growled Lykrosis.

“The decision is made. The captain will be told. Already we commit many offenses.”

“This is unwise. We must learn more, find proof of the pair’s usefulness. There will be no offenses, only praise. We need more moments.” The reaver knew all of this; he had agreed with all of this. They had conversed much on the subject and he knew Kreesis was being swayed by the pair. They intrigued him in both their actions and their words. The female enticed him with her scents and behavior during the mating. The reaver contemplated mating the female himself, so why now did he waiver?

“We have no more moments. Another update has been demanded,” replied Kreesis.

“Investigation is in progress.”

“Too many moments have passed. My competency has been questioned,” he rumbled in discontent. “Another will be tasked.”

“The lair has not been located.”

“Unfortunate. My decision remains unchanged,” and his tone conveyed finality.

Lykrosis understood that arguing served no purpose. What he needed to know now was what Kreesis ultimately thought of this situation. Would he confirm Lykrosis’ words, convey that he also considered the pair to have value? “This is accepted. What of my logic?”

“I have not made a final decision.”

That was not advantageous. He had thought his plan was working, but he had been wrong. If Kreesis believed the pair to be useful, it would be easier to convince the captain; however, alone he was uncertain. This decision may very well mean his destruction. “You will let the captain decide,” Lykrosis accused.

“I do what is best for the crew,” Kreesis said, words clipped. “Situation is dangerous. For the crew, for us, and it is of your making.”

“You do what is best for you.” In his anger and the prospect of being made an example of, Lykrosis forgot caution.

An immediate growl sounded in response and an aggressive arm flick denoted the reaver’s ire. Kreesis moved within a few ntr’k of him and said lowly, “You wish to challenge?”

Lykrosis considered it; part of him really wanted to, but his anger at Kreesis was only an avoidance, a distraction. The other vandal had made a logical decision, and Lykrosis could not fault him that even if it is not the one he desired. He lowered his gaze in deference to the reaver and said simply, “No.”

The other vandal retreated quickly, a show of acceptance of the withdrawn offense, seemingly not wanting the challenge either.

There was silence in the room for many moments. Lykrosis knew not what to say nor did he think there was anything left to say. He had often thought of the many outcomes to this situation especially those that would come about if this did not go in his favor. Most of those outcomes ended with his death. However, he had made the choices that lead him to this moment and there was nothing he could do to change it now. “You are certain of this decision, yes?”

The reply was not immediate. Kreesis’ arms flicked sporadically as though he were thinking to himself. “I have no desire to see you punished. This decision is not easily made.” The arm flicks changed from sporadic to clearly frustrated. “I desire the pair’s usefulness. I desire agreement from the captain, for praise instead of offense. The outcome is uncertain.”

“As it is in all things,” he replied in resignation. Lykrosis could tell the reaver was not in favor of his own decision. He knew Kreesis was loyal; this situation had been placed unfairly on him and Lykrosis recognized this. The moment he had been putting off had finally come about and there was only one thing left to do. “We will speak with the captain.”

“I am not convinced of the pair’s usefulness. The captain will hear facts. They lack hostility in our interactions. They speak no untruths I can detect.”

Those words might aid him. However, he needed more. What could he say to convince the captain? What more did he know of the pair, of the female, that could be valuable to the crew? They had information about the hu’ins and about this planet, most of which was probably known to his leadership. The female had interacted with the sdee’al, perhaps they had more data on the Zkr K’ Rav.

 _This is pointless_. There were many words he could speak, but all lacked anything to show for it. He needed the lair. He needed something the captain could see, could touch, could investigate himself— “We see the captain now?” he asked the reaver.

“No, following next patrol.”

The servitors favored him; one moment left. One more plan, this one even more dangerous than all the others.

“Kreesis, we must speak.”

* * *

 _Silence._ Cleo sat in her shared quarters, the other warlock gone for the time being, and finally, blessed silence was what she had. For months, Cleo felt like she could not go anywhere in the Last City without there being some raucous or another. However, the construction of the Tower was almost complete, and everything should quiet down.

These latest calculations were giving her trouble. She was trying to determine what enemy could have attacked them that day on the cliffs based on the trajectory and blast radius of the weapon. The trouble was, it did not conform to any of the known fallen weapons and the magnitude was much more destructive than any single weapon should be capable of. _What could it possibly be?_

Cleo set her datapad to the side and rubbed her eyes. How long had she been at this? It felt like too long. She checked the monitor on her bedside table. Yep, way too long. She needed a break, and preferably some spicy noodles. The shop wasn’t that far away, and it should be relatively quiet at this time of day in case she wanted to pick back up with her work where she left off.

She tucked the datapad into her robes and headed out of the Tower’s barracks. “Zavala,” she said, activating her comm. link.

“Cleo?”

“I’m headed out for some food. Would you like to join me? I’m sure you could use a break from whatever it is you are doing?” Cleo wasn’t quite sure what had prompted her to make the offer. She and Zavala were not regular fireteam mates nor did they have much in common. However, she found him to be quiet and easy to be around, which made him seem like a nice choice in this rare moment when she did not feel like dining alone.

“I am doing an inventory of the armory.”

“So that would be a yes.”

“I would prefer to finish this first, but I suppose it can wait for the time being.”

Not 10 minutes later, Cleo had met Zavala at the noodle shop, ordered, and they were sitting at a small table in the corner.

As she had predicted, the place was almost empty, only a single female hunter sitting a few tables down from them; however, she was so engrossed with polishing a set of throwing knives, Cleo suspected she might not even know anyone else was there. _Hunters and their blades,_ she thought rolling her eyes. Cleo appreciated a good weapon as much as the next guardian, but hunters could get a bit obsessive in her opinion.

“Something on your mind?” Zavala asked.

Cleo shook her head and then gestured at the other guardian. “Hunters,” she said in that way that anyone would understand what she meant.

“Ah, yes. They can be… dedicated.”

“Dedicated he says. To their knives, yes, and to the hunt, sure, but to teamwork, not so much. Speaking of lack of teamwork, I haven’t seen Cayde around lately.”

“I have it on good authority that he has been sent off planet.”

“Hmm, I wonder what they have him doing? Whatever it is, I’m sure he is just happy to be out there alone doing his own thing.”

“Perhaps, but at some point, we must all learn to work with others.”

“I’m not sure that’s what they are teaching over there at hunter school.”

“I was not aware there was such a thing as hunter school.”

Cleo couldn’t help her grin; she tended to forget how much sarcasm could slide right by the titan. “That was a joke, Zavala.”

“Oh. Well, that would explain why I’d never heard of it. Anyways, how goes the research with Rahool?”

“It is as stimulating as ever; however, I must admit I have devoted quite a bit of time on tracking down our unknown assailant from a few months ago.”

“I was not aware you were still working on that. Have you been successful?”

“Frustratingly, no. It is inconsistent with any weapon of the fallen. So, either they have a new much more powerful weapon, or we have another enemy on Earth.” It didn’t make any sense. If the fallen had such a weapon, surely, they would have seen more evidence by now. The House of Devils were, after all, the scourge of the city and they would not hesitate to use any advantage they had to cause more trouble.

“Well keep at it. I have faith you will come up with an explanation soon enough, preferably one that does not involve a new enemy.”

“Thanks, Zavala,” she said smiling at him.

“I must return to the armory, but this was a nice distraction. We must do it again sometime.”

“I would like that.”

They said their goodbyes and Zavala left. Cleo decided to stay on the off chance that a change of scenery may prove helpful to her. Why? There wasn’t actually a logical reason, but feeling encouraged by Zavala’s words, she retrieved her datapad and returned to her work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…?
> 
> Fallen Language  
> Listed in order of appearance:  
> Ntr’k-measure of length. It is equivalent to about a centimeter.  
> Zkr K' Rav-literally means to be of necrosis and decay. This is what fallen call the hive.


	12. Infiltration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! I’m back with another chapter. I know what you are all thinking, how did she have any time to write with Forsaken just released?! I honestly don’t know, but the motivation to write has been high lately. Let’s all hope that keeps up, but also realize in my excitement, I just finished writing this chapter like 5 mins ago. I should really wait, edit, and then publish, but what the hell, I’m a rebel (hopefully that doesn’t bite me in the ass). Anyways, this chapter throws some plot right in your face from the very beginning. Enjoy!

The rock face they were perched on gave them the perfect vantage point to spy on the lair entrance and the sentries that guarded it. There were five sniper vandals currently high up in the cliffs surrounding the entrance. The first step in what was going to be a very long, very slow, and arduous process was to get by them undetected. _And this is the easy part._ “This is a bad idea,” it said quietly, but with some emphasis.

_Noted. 11._

“Well note it again for the 12th time. This is a very **bad** idea,” emphasized Ghost more fervently. Its gaze left the female’s form to survey the surrounding area. It was so exposed. They were going to be seen; it was certain. “This is moving way too fast. You want to go from a little bit of scouting and investigation of the entrance into full on infiltration of their lair? Our cloak is good, but not that good.”

She gave it the look, the one that said she thought it worried too much.

It hated that look. “I admire your confidence, always, but I think I worry just enough, and this has me worried. I don’t…” but Ghost trailed off.

A fact that did not escape the female’s attention. She turned toward it curiosity evident in her mind.

Ghost wasn’t sure it wanted to continue. It had never expressed this thought aloud before and it almost didn’t want to, like somehow saying it would make it a reality.

The female sent it a stronger blip of curiosity at its continued silence.

“I’ve never acknowledged this before, but I’m not sure what will happen if you get hurt. Your light has always been your own and even though we share it now, I-I don’t know if I can heal you.” Healing was the least of its worries. What if the worst happened and it couldn’t resurrect her? What if after her death, she had no resonance with the light? “This is the most involved we have ever been and consequently, the closest to real danger we have ever been. What if something happens to you?”

_Trust._

“I do trust you. You know I do.”

_Close._

“And what are we close to?”

And to that, it received no answer.

Ghost sighed loudly. That wasn’t very reassuring. “You know, I would help you with anything and I do trust you, but I… I can’t lose you.”

_I know._

Activating their cloak, the female carefully started the climb down the cliffside without waiting for its response. Apparently, she was not going to be swayed nor did she want to allow it the chance to try. She moved slowly trying to avoid shifting rocks for her own safety and so as not to attract attention to the area. Halfway down, she let herself drop to the ground, and then hid behind a large boulder.

Ghost floated beside her, still unhappy about this situation, but doing its job nonetheless. Monitoring the vandals’ positions, it made sure their progress was not detected. It would have preferred to transmat into the area, but there was too much risk. They did not know the layout of the cave system nor did they know what kind of equipment the fallen may have scanning the area. The transmat left an obvious signal residue if you knew what to look for. No, on foot was definitely the better method even if it was going to be more time consuming and certainly more angst ridden.

They moved to the base of the cliff that housed the fallen crew and crept along. Each second felt agonizing. The idea of being spotted and the whole crew converging on them filled the ghost with dread. Sure, right now they could still transmat away, but inside the lair who knew what kind of signal blockers the fallen might possess. They would most certainly be trapped.

The female stopped abruptly.

Ghost had been distracted with its thoughts. What was going on?! Had they been spotted?! It had known this was a bad idea.

_Ghost. Calm. Please._

“Ah, I’m being distracting, aren’t I?” it whispered. Even though the female could send it direct thoughts, it could not do the same. This form of communication had always been a one-way slide, but the female still picked up something from the ghost and right now its mind was chaotic.

The female just smiled; it couldn’t see her face, but it could feel it.

Yeah, it was being distracting.

From there on, Ghost tried not to think. She moved, it scanned. Move, scan. Move, scan. Over and over until before it knew it, they had made it behind the false wall. The female paused there allowing it to scan for any signals that may be emitted by equipment designed to send out an alert when someone entered the case system. It didn’t detect anything, which was fortuitous. _I guess the fallen don’t think anyone will find this place._

The actual entrance to the cave system was a tunnel that seemed just about wide enough to allow a servitor to pass unhindered. It was only a few meters in length as they passed through and on the other side, there were two dregs guarding the exit. Well, guarding was a loose description as they were bickering between themselves and hadn’t even spared a glance at the tunnel.

The female crawled out of the tunnel, righted herself with a glance at the now quarreling dregs, and then easily slipped passed them. The corridor they passed through was cold and dry, which was to be expected. The ground had been worn almost smooth by the amount of foot traffic that must traipse through here each day.

This was where the real danger began. Their movements would need to be incredibly slow so as not to attract attention to the shimmer of their cloak, and they would have to keep their distance from any individual fallen. It was dark in the caves—thankfully—the few light tubes placed here and there the only source of illumination. For that reason alone, they might have a chance of getting through this in one piece.

The corridor opened into a large cavern, which seemed to be at least one of the main areas of the lair if the level of activity was anything to go by.

Movement. That was the first thing Ghost felt from the female. There was so much movement. It was overwhelming to her as her eyes were drawn everywhere at once, jumping back and forth too quickly to comprehend anything that was happening. Not a single thing was distinguished enough for her to focus on.

There were dregs **everywhere**. They huddled together in groups of threes and fours. Many bickered and growled, hurling insults back and forth while others engaged physically. Some of the dregs were alone, tending to wounds or just glaring at those around them. More still scrabbled after the few ether tanks that had been thrown haphazardly into the area for the dregs to share.

Here and there a dreg could be seen tearing into some unfortunate animal they had managed to capture. Congealed blood was splattered on the floor and walls. The thick layers of dried and flaky lines below denoted just how long the same pattern of kill, spatter, kill, spatter had been going on.

Ghost could not smell itself, but it could analyze the chemical composition of the surrounding air and from the female’s impression, it was unpleasant. Pheromones, musk, blood, filth, all of it coming through at once with nothing but the cave entrance to ventilate the area.

While still distracted with taking in this chaos, the female grabbed it without notice and flattened them out against a shadowed area of the closest wall.

Two vandals passed within inches of them on their way across the cavern and deeper into the lair.

Ghost trembled in her grasp. _That was way too close_.

Only now did Ghost realize that the female would be able to communicate with it, but it couldn’t reply while they were in this place. Always it had spoken aloud, which it could not do for fear of being heard, and the female did not wear a HUD where it could send written transmissions.

This was turning into more of a disaster than it had originally thought.

The female opened her hand to let it go now that they were alone again.

Ghost hesitated, but eventually it left her palm reluctantly. Without the ability to speak with her, it wanted to be as close as possible, but the female’s movement could be hindered with only one hand. Instead, it huddled in against her side. From here it could still keep an eye out, but it felt safer and right now, Ghost needed that.

Their presence still undetected, the female started once again further into the lair. When they had moved passed the cavern into another corridor, the female picked up her pace. Large rooms opened from the left wall of the corridor every hundred feet or so. Each one was filled with sleeping dregs and idle shanks.

Something was… wrong about this. Sure, there were normally more dregs in a crew than any other class, but this seemed like way too many. How big was this crew? Was it… was it more than one crew?

This situation felt exponentially more dangerous all of a sudden; just how many fallen were in here? Ghost didn’t like this; they needed to leave **now**. It floated upward to tell the female just that, but it paused. It hadn’t exactly been paying attention the last few minutes. They were staring at a large wall that appeared to be the end of the cave system.

It hadn’t expected that. Where were the vandals, the captain and servitor? This didn’t make sense and unfortunately, it was right.

Feeling around a bit, the female located the continuation she had been looking for.

 _Great, another tunnel,_ and this one ascended higher into the mountain. Nope. This wasn’t happening. Ghost bumped into the female’s shoulder gaining her attention. It turned its body back and forth, effectively communicating its rejection of her plan. Then it backed up slowly willing the female to come with it.

It wasn’t enough.

 _Ghost. I must._ _But, Ghost… should leave._

 _What?!_ She wanted it to leave? The suggestion stung. Did she think it too distracting? Was it slowing her down or worse, annoying her?

No. Ghost could feel the confliction within her.

She just wanted it to be safe. The female was not unaware of just how dangerous this might be, but there was something within pressing her forward. She felt like she had to do this, and she didn’t want to drag it along. She didn’t want to see anything happen to it.

She flashed it a small smile and then turned back to the tunnel, leaving it to its own decision. She would not attempt to pressure it, it knew that. Bracing her hands against the sides of the opening, the female lifted herself up and began the climb.

Ghost was paralyzed with indecision. Should it leave her here, alone? She was capable of handling herself, wasn’t she? Besides, it could always transmat her back if she managed to signal it somehow, assuming transmatting itself out of here didn’t set off some kind of alarm.

Perhaps, perhaps it was not indecision, but fear. She was afraid for its safety, but more so than any bodily harm or death, it was afraid to be alone again. All it could think about was losing her. Its mind was heavy with the images of her lifeless body splayed out before it, battered and clawed. Pangs of overwhelming loss from their broken connection assaulted it. It had experienced that loss before; it knew exactly how terrible it felt.

 _No_.

That wasn’t going to happen. The female was capable and determined, and… it would be there right by her side.

It would not abandon her; it would not leave her alone in this place. This ghost… was going to help its guardian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody catch what I did there? Let me know in the reviews if you realize the significant milestone Ghost just achieved.  
> On another note, how’s everybody’s Forsaken-ing going? I think the game has been significantly improved since the release. I could squee about all the stuff to do, finally.


	13. Inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Super short chapter for you guys, but it’s from the female’s POV so it actually covers more with less words if that make sense. BTW, I went back and reread the last chapter and was a little appalled. The writing was pretty bad, and I apologize to you guys for that. I edited it completely and reposted it, so if anyone reads through that again, just know that I made sure it was up to my usual standards for you guys. No more posting five minutes after finishing!

The rock is cold. Hard and cold. _The fallen are cold, minimal heat comes from their bodies. This lair is underground. No heat from the sun. Shanks gave off heat; they were the only source._ It is colder, advancing through this tunnel. But, the scent dissipates. _It is better further along._ _And, his scent is easier to follow._

Ghost is here. _Ghost decided to follow._ This is pleasing. Well, pleasing and not.

She must do this. She felt it, it was necessary. The danger was irrelevant, but not for Ghost.

 _I want Ghost here, but I want it safe. I will be distracted, attention will be split._  

Ghost is worrying, even now. Always worrying.

She could hear it, clearer than before. Not just feelings, thoughts: there were too many fallen, it could not speak, she was its… guardian. _Strange—_ Irrelevant, for now.

This, all this was why she must continue. She felt, she heard, she saw, and she remembered. Memories, new and old returned. Everything was clearer. However, she kept much of this from Ghost. She didn’t want it to know. Didn’t want it to be hopeful. Not yet.

Tunnel terminates, but there is another corridor. There are rooms, smaller than below with doors. Curiosity blooms. _There were no doors below._

His scent is stronger. Advancing further.

Ghost is close, scanning as they move.

Advancing further. Passing many doors. More curiosity. _Privacy?_

Ghost has same conclusion.

_These are personal rooms. Previously, there were only dreg type fallen. Deeper into the cases, there must be only higher classes. There is more room, more privilege. Ghost said fallen are strictly hierarchal. Yes, this conclusion is sound._

Advancing further. _I am closer now. His scent is strong._

This room. _This room is the correct one._

She was certain.

 _What should I do next?_ There is uncertainty. _If I enter, there are too many unknowns. Too many undesirable outcomes exist. However, if I stay hidden and wait, this accomplishes nothing. I want to enter the room, I want to see him, but there may be other fallen in th_ — **movement!**

Door sliding open. He is leaving. _Should I show myself or simply follow?_

There is another vandal. _Is it the same one?_

Yes. She could tell. His scent was familiar too.

_I need to make a choice. I am still unsure why I am here. Perhaps waiting is better. I can learn more._

Yes, she would follow them.

Ghost is worrying again.

 _Moving about is easier than expected._ Most doors are closed. No other fallen. Lighting is sparse. Abundant shadows exist.

New fallen, same type. It is moving opposite them.

She froze. It would pass them.

Breathing slows. _Will it notice them?_

…

It is passing. It does not pause. _He…_

He is gone. They are further away. Moving again, faster. _I must follow._

Many tunnels, many curves. _Where are they going?_

Temperature changes again, even colder. _Deeper into caves; there are even less fallen here_. Another curve—pauses. Tunnel terminates. One door with vandal guard. _Interesting._

“This report is expected by the captain,” states second vandal from hollow.

_Captain…_

“This lesser vandal. He is here why?” asks guard vandal.

“Information he has is relevant to the report.”

Guard vandal pauses. _Perhaps evaluating._ Lower arm movement.

She has seen this before. It was important, meaningful. However, the movements were hard to decipher. She needed more time.

“This is accepted.” Guard vandal moves toward door.

She must decide quickly.

Ghost is worrying. It does not wish to follow. It doesn’t like the situation: they would be further trapped, they had no knowledge of the lighting or room layout.

She agreed, there was no guarantee of remaining hidden. But… she must do this. She would warn Ghost.

_Ghost. Leave if trouble. Leave me._

Moving, quickly and silently. Closer. Approaching the door. Guard vandal is closing it! Close. So Close. So little space to maneuver. Not enough!

No, just enough.

They were in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to get another chapter out soon, but we all know how that goes. Anyways, thanks for reading!


	14. Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! I know, it’s only been two weeks! I’m doing my best to get more of this story out for you guys. Hope you enjoy!

Tyriks set his tools to the side as the door to his private lab slid open expectedly. Admittedly he was surprised when two Vandals, both helms down and properly deferential, moved through the doorway instead of just the one. He figured his guard had followed Kreesis in, but a quick glance showed him outside the door where he knew to wait when this particular report was given.

Both Vandals were the same to his eyes with identical frames and armor given their spawned origins. He could distinguish them only by their demeanors. Kreesis, he was sure, had led the way into the lab. His presence was calmer, arms lax by his sides, while the other was clearly unaccustomed to being in his presence. Tyriks would find this development interesting if he hadn’t already lost patience with this entire situation. He needed all of this to be over.

He waited until they were standing before him and the door fully closed before he said, “Speak.”

The reaver stepped forward, lifting his head in the process. “Captain Tyriks, investigation has concluded.”

He waited a moment for the reaver to continue, but nothing was forthcoming. “Yes?” he asked impatiently.

The reaver hesitated and with it, subtle arm flicks let him know Kreesis had grown nervous. “A complication exists.”

That was not what he wanted to hear. “I surmise this is the Vandal under investigation.”

“Yes.”

“You bring him here, why? Orders were clear,” he said, voice trailing into a low growl. He had given explicit orders that the reaver was supposed to investigate and terminate the lesser Vandal immediately if anything suspicious was found. There was no reason to bring him here.

“Suspicious activity was discovered. He understands his life is forfeit,” said the reaver gesturing at the lesser Vandal who still stared at the floor obediently. “He believes he discovered something of value. Desires to explain.”

“You know of this object of value?”

“Yes. He showed it to me. Captain Tyriks, I decided to bring him here. It is my judgement. I know not what to think of this. I have not your wisdom, knowledge. I think it worth the moments to listen.”

Tyriks considered this request and decided it was a small thing. The lesser Vandal apparently understood his situation; he must think the object worth a great deal to believe it would save his life. “This is accepted,” he finally said gesturing at the other. “I will listen.”

The lesser Vandal, of which he still did not know the designation, stepped forward. “Captain Tyriks, I discovered a female.”

Tyriks froze. _A female?_ How could that be possible? All known females were with House Wolves and they were not currently on this planet. Where could she have come from? _Perhaps a defector from House Wolves._ It was plausible although unlikely. Still, if she was alone on this planet, she might seek to join another house.

That would be a boon like no other. Tyriks could only imagine the prestige if his crew was responsible for bringing a female into House Devils. For the first time in more moments then he could count, he felt a sliver of excitement. How many moments had it been since he had even seen a female? He couldn’t remember, but it must have been around the exodus. Tyriks almost cringed at the thought. _Too many moments._

Possibilities aside, he first needed to confirm her existence and resolve this situation. Simply viewing a female would not explain how these spawned Vandals would know her for what she was, so they must have conversed. He needed to understand these interactions and find out exactly what she told them. “Vandal,” he said sharply, “explain this occurrence with the female. Fully.”

“Yes, Captain. Female was discovered in Forgotten Shore. Shadowing was attempted. Intention was to find lair, then report. Female disappeared without trace. The area was scouted again after following patrols. Female was glimpsed again. I attempted shadowing, always unsuccessful. I noted afterwards our roles reversed. Female attempted shadowing. She initiated contact. Female appeared innocuous, I remained suspicious. Contact, conversation was maintained. I desired to understand the female’s purpose. Female divulged much information: planet, history, time, hu’ins, nuur’khu—”

“You failed to report this,” he growled. This Vandal had been interacting with the female for what seemed many moments and had said nothing. At any point they could have lost her and Tyriks would never have known she existed. “This is traitorous behavior. Information was traded with female, yes?”

“No. Fallen intel not given.”

“Information is never given freely. Female desires something.”

“My thoughts were the same. I asked directly. Female insisted, desires only mating.”

“Mating?” he repeated because he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. _Perhaps_ , he mused, it wasn’t actually that surprising. To mate successfully with this Vandal the female must also be Vandal class and they were known to be promiscuous, at least on the home planet they had been.

“Yes, mating is when—”

“I know what mating is, Vandal,” he said cutting through the other’s words icily.

“Of course, Captain Tyriks,” the Vandal stated quickly while lowering his gaze.

 _Rightly so._ Tyriks was **angry**. This Vandal had no idea what he had stumbled upon or how fortunate he was. If the female truly mated with him it was a gift from the servitors that he certainly didn’t deserve.

Females were rare. It hadn’t always been that way, but it was their reality now. Worse yet, was the knowledge that this problem was of their own making, the Fallen’s that is, and they had been trying to find a way to correct it for as many moments as he could remember.

As rare as females were though, mating opportunities were even more so. As the ratio of their population had skewed further and further in favor of males, competition had become more extreme. Fights for dominance became more prevalent and more brutal as males took every opportunity to vie for a female’s attention.

The females themselves became more and more outlandish in their standards and demands of a mate. Those that were still left, were haughty creatures, not that he blamed them given the amount of attention they received on a constant basis.

Females were revered and not because of their rarity. Not only did they match males in terms of physicality, but they were often more cunning and better at both espionage and manipulation. What little power plays there were left in Fallen society, the females played them well. Above all else though, females were life givers, and for that reason alone, destroying one unjustly had always meant death to the one who had done it.

Returning his attention to the other Vandal, Tyriks asked, “Reaver, you mated the female, yes?”

“No. I have seen it done. The act… results in unbidden feelings. I am conflicted.”

“You also failed to report,” he said in a tone that left no doubt about his anger.

“All blame is mine,” interrupted the other Vandal. “I bid him silence. I owe him loyalty and he, I. I believed the female valuable, desired to aid crew. Requested moments to obtain proof. I bid him see the female, judge her. Captain Tyriks, I bid you same.”

“Enough. You do not make such decisions. You observe, report,” he growled. “However, judgement is reserved, for both. I will evaluate this female.”

Tyriks had barely finished uttering the last word when a shimmer caught his eye and a creature suddenly appeared in front of his worktable. His surprised trill was echoed by the Vandals, but it changed in the middle to an outraged warble as he recognized the creature for what it was. He was on his feet and had his shock blades out in an instant for he knew he had but a few moments to react.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews are much appreciated. BTW, I edited and reposted chapters 1-35. Hopefully I found and fixed all the grammar errors. I also just generally polished them up a bit for any of you who tend to reread stories you favor (I know I do).
> 
> Fallen Language. Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'khu – literally means lightbearers. This is what Fallen call guardians.


	15. Too Many Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Long time, no see. I am doing my best, but life is busy. Most of you have probably figured this out already, but I broke IitU up into two parts. I always intended for this to be a series, but I never quite knew how I wanted to break it up until now. However, if you are here for the first time, this is part two of The Unknown Series and you should probably read part 1 (Indulging in the Unknown) first. Anyways, enjoy this newest chapter!

Tyriks took two large steps to the end of his worktable, pivoted quickly, and lunged at the creature. He’d only had a moment to react, but a moment was all he needed. His pedicels had told him everything he needed to know about his surroundings, their effective range amplified by his helm fin’s receptor plates. He knew the exact distance the creature was from him, the exact number of steps he needed to take to reach it. He picked up its unusual scent and the heat that radiated from its body, warmer than any Fallen had ever been.

His blades came down in an effortless swing, his timing and positioning perfect; one would take it through the waist and the other neck and shoulder. A moment before he would have connected, their eyes met although he could understand nothing of the other’s expression, and then his blades caught nothing but air. The creature was gone.

He scanned the room before he had even finished the movement but found nothing. He widened his search and figured out only a moment later where it had gone. Turning around, he found it there on the other side of the worktop where he had been just a moment before. Tyriks lunged at it again, this time across the worktop, but once again he landed without making contact. Even with instinct riding him, he had moments to wonder how its teleportation worked. He picked up no nuur, no transitions or frequencies.

Tyriks faced the Vandals again knowing where he would find the other. Indeed, the creature had returned to its original position, but strangely it had made no other movements. In fact, neither had the Vandals. He growled lowly at the incompetence. “Activate the warning beacons. The lair is compromised,” he ordered forcefully, not bothering to take his eyes off their enemy.

As strange as it was that neither of them had moved, it caught him off guard when they both hesitated. He could see it in the rogue arms flicks, their reluctance was so obviously displayed, and the pheromones that poured into the area were rank, anxiety-ridden. “Captain—” started the lesser Vandal, but Tyriks cut him off with an enraged trill. How dare they both defy him?! “Captain, this is the female,” he finally said rushing through the words.  

“What do you mean?” he growled out while still glaring at the immobile creature.

“Captain,” said the reaver, “this is the female. You agreed to evaluate.”

Tyriks straightened abruptly. He had never allowed a lesser Fallen to see him in a state other than perfectly prim and refined, he was a baron after all, but he could not contain the surprise in his posture and voice when he realized what the Vandals meant. “You… have mated this creature?” he asked finally risking a quick glance at the lesser Vandal. He didn’t want to think about the action, but he had to confirm this.

“Yes.”

Tyriks hissed in disgust, another act well below his station. He could not believe this Vandal had touched this creature, this nuur’khu. It was wrong, an affront to their kind. What had he been thinking? Tyriks quickly moved from surprised to completely infuriated. Not only was it disgusting, it was treachery interacting with a nuur’khu in this manner. His claws clenched tighter around his shock blades and more than anything in that moment he wanted to destroy these Vandals, but he restrained himself, with effort. He had always been one to think before acting; there was an appropriate moment to let one’s instinct take over, and this was not it, not yet.

“Why was it brought here?” he asked, barely able to keep that fury out of his voice.

“We did not. The female must have followed.”

“Incompetent, letting yourselves be followed. You have compromised the lair.” How foolish and incompetent these Vandals had been; they had put the entire crew at risk, not only of destruction, but humiliation even if they managed to survive. Simple destruction did not seem fitting punishment enough. He would make them suffer for this, make an example of them. Although he cared not for it, Tyriks was not above torture if it served a purpose.

However, he had more important things to consider. There was a nuur’khu in his lair, which, if nothing else, fortuitously seemed to have snuck in since no other Fallen had been alerted to its presence. The thought that perhaps none had been alerted because it had destroyed them all crossed his mind, but it seemed unlikely. Nevertheless, he quickly commed his guard privately. He answered, which was a good sign, so Tyriks made up a random task for him to go do. If anything was amiss, he would know in a matter of moments.

In the interim, how to handle this situation? The thing that gave him pause most was the nuur’khu itself. By the Vandal’s own account, it had been interacting with him for many moments. Now, it had snuck into their lair. What was it trying to accomplish with these unexpected and seemingly drastic maneuvers? He could only imagine what intel it had gleaned from the Vandals.

Interestingly, the creature still hadn’t moved. He had obviously expected an attack, but it stood in the same spot, very close to the lesser Vandal, who did not seem to mind its presence, which perturbed him. He recalled even during its teleportation that its body had never actually moved. The expression was the same, the posture, the arms and claws, all the same. It occurred to him that it seemed to be trying to appear innocuous. _How strange._ Most nuur’khu would not have bothered. They desired to threaten, to fight and kill; it was what they did.

Tyriks looked at it more closely. It was not garbed as he would have expected, neither wearing armor nor even fully covered, which pointed either to a lack of resources or much more likely, a disgusting level of arrogance. It did not fear bodily harm, even here inside their lair. What was this nuur’khu to be so bold?

He had seen hu’ins before and awoken; this creature shared many of their characteristics, but there were differences. The first he noted were the eyes. Although it had only two like the hu’ins, they looked so strangely similar to his own. Even the color was the same. The other difference was it flesh. He had seen like tones and patterns from Awoken, but this nuur’khu seem… illuminated somehow. The flesh glittered as though it were frozen, but he knew the creature’s body radiated heat, so this was not the case. Was there another species rising as nuur’khu? Did the Fallen now have another enemy to contend with for this planet?

Tyriks intended to ask, but his guard commed him. He simply stated he had completed his task, no urgency or report of destroyed Fallen throughout the caves, which meant the nuur’khu had indeed snuck in. He sent an acknowledgment and returned his attention to his previous thoughts. “This nuur’khu is what species?”

“We know not.”

“You are what species?” he asked addressing it for the first time, but it did not answer.

“Female is incapable of speech,” interrupted the reaver. “She pairs a nuur’az. It speaks for her,” there was a slight pause and then he added, “They insist she is not nuur’khu.”

 _Not nuur’khu_. “This has no logic,” he scoffed, “It has nuur’az, then it is nuur’khu.”

“They insist not. They state they care not for this planet, this Last City.”

Tyriks meant to reply, well to admonish them for believing such poorly crafted untruths, but something else much more important occurred to him. “Nuur’az is here?”

His question was left unanswered, although he should have expected that. The Vandals apparently did not know and the nuur’khu was incapable of telling him. Did it even understand him? He gestured at the nuur’khu and gave voice to his query, “It understands?”

“Yes, nuur’az claims.”

Tyriks’ arm flicked slightly in acknowledgement, although this time he managed to keep his surprise to himself. How had this nuur’khu learned E’lik? He knew there had been an effort by the nuur’khu to intercept and translate Fallen chatter, but he also knew their grasp of the Fallen language was rudimentary at best. Most of that knowledge was contained within the nuur’az as well, not the nuur’khu. He was curious if it did really understand him or if it was another untruth the nuur’az had fed the Vandals. “Nuur’az is here?” he repeated this time addressing the nuur’khu directly with his question. Any Fallen would understand his tone; it demanded a response and the threat evident if he didn’t get one, but this creature was not Fallen. It stared at him for many moments, not a single movement to be seen, until finally its head cocked to the side.

Very slowly, the nuur’khu backed away from them all. After a few steps, it turned and walked to the furthest corner of his lab. Tyriks watched it wearily as it knelt in the corner and extended its claws. He didn’t see the creature grab anything, but after only a few moments it stood again and returned to them hands still outstretched as though it carried something. He thought to demand an explanation for this behavior, but just before, he noticed the shimmer. That small refraction meant only one thing and sure enough, the nuur’az decloaked. It was pressed into the creature’s claws, its small plates clicking together as it trembled, obviously afraid.

This was unexpected; nuur’az did not show themselves, ever. They hid, always, and yet, here one was. He had a living nuur’az in his lair. His mind went immediately to the prestige he could gain from capturing and delivering such a prize to his house leaders. To be able to study it, dissect it and learn its inner workings could greatly aid them in understanding how to defeat the nuur’khu.

Tyriks knew he had not made a single movement and yet it was as if the nuur’khu knew what he was thinking. It drew its claws inward tighter to its body, further from their reach, and its expression had changed somehow although he could not identify exactly what was different.

Before he could think further on his unexpected good fortune and how to capitalize on it, the nuur’az spoke. “The Vandals are correct,” it said so quietly he could barely make it out.

“Speak up, Nuur’az,” he growled.

“The Vandals are correct,” it repeated only slightly louder than the first time. It continued hurriedly, the words coming out strung together, “The female understands your speech, she is not a nuur’khu, and she does not know what species she is.”

His next words rumbled out, the irritation with these untruths causing the stridulation, “This has no logic.”

The nuur’az trembling increased with his vocalizations. It was trying to speak, but it was completely incomprehensible, which only increased his irritation. Fortunately for him, the nuur’khu intervened. It backed up a few steps and turned away from him. Small vocalizations from the nuur’az seemed to indicate they were having a conversation although he heard nothing from the nuur’khu, which made sense given what the Vandals had told him. Although that did leave him to question how their communication functioned, but that was a consideration for another moment.

When the nuur’khu turned back, the nuur’az was noticeably calmer. It no longer trembled and as he watched, it rose just a fraction higher out of the creature’s claws. In clearly discernable E’lik, it finally spoke, “The female says we are willing to discuss many things; however, we require an agreement that we will not be harmed for the duration of our discussion.”

He had surmised this before given how they had manipulated the Vandals, but this pair were clever indeed to ask such a thing. It was disadvantageous for him and Tyriks did not desire to make such an agreement for he did mean them harm. The only way he saw this situation concluding favorably for his crew was for all those in this room besides himself to never leave it again.

“You agreed to evaluate the female,” the nuur’az reminded him although he did not need it.

“The Vandals failed to disclose, female is not Fallen,” he replied.

“True, but that fact doesn’t really change anything; it can just be another factor that you consider. This discussion can be the beginning of your evaluation, or the totality of it if you do not like what we have to say.”

Something had changed. He did not know what the nuur’khu had communicated, but like the creature itself, the nuur’az had grown bold. They were confident and he did not like that. However, despite his anger at this entire situation, the nuur’az was right, he had agreed to evaluate the female and he would honor that. None of that changed the fact that after this discussion had concluded, he had every intention of destroying them all. He would also use the conversation to understand these enemies further. They had to have a weakness he could exploit, and he needed to find it because the creature’s ability to evade him was… impressive although he was loath to admit it.

Now, it seemed he had one viable option. Tyriks put away his shock blades and returned to his seat in front of the worktop. The pair were not the only confident ones; he had been a baron for more moments than could be counted and for good reason. His intelligence and ability to strategize were not to be trifled with, a fact these creatures would soon learn all too well.

“I accept this agreement. Now speak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit. I’m so excited for what comes next. Anybody got any guesses?
> 
> So, some of you may have caught on that I said Tyriks has “pedicels”. To me, the Fallen have always seemed similar to our insects, arachnids, or just invertebrates in general. Most of which, have some sort of antenna or analogous sensory organs. With the dregs in the game, we see that they have hair(?) or whatever its supposed to be. I headcanon that these are like antennae and are very sensitive to a Fallen’s surroundings. Given that they are a very advanced species, I also headcanon that the Fallen have developed a way to boost their effectiveness using their helms. The helms were designed to interface with the bunch of pedicels of their heads giving them complete control over their armor and its technology. It also allows them to communicate without speaking (same concept as telepathy but by utilizing technology, not natural ability), which is how Tyriks can have a private conversation with his guard without anyone knowing.
> 
> Fallen Language. Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'khu – literally means lightbearers. (Just an FYI, since Bungie decided to officially call guardians ‘lightbearers’, I’ve updated my previous definition of ‘lightwielders’ to match. I haven’t fixed all the previous chapters, but I will eventually.)  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light. This is what Fallen call ghosts.


	16. A Proposed Arrangement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! Back with another chapter. Quick note, I have added dialogue over comm links. It is differentiated from spoken dialogue and character thoughts by // marks. Enjoy!

Right after his acceptance, the pair visibly relaxed. The nuur’khu gently pushed the nuur’az forward out of its grasp and lowered its claws back to its sides. Its facial expression also changed to what Tyriks recognized as being called smiling, a representation of contentment. Instinctually, this perturbed him. He didn’t like the idea that this made it so content as though he had fallen into some sort of trap. He would be very careful to monitor their movements while they spoke. He would have elicited an agreement from them in turn to not harm him or the Vandals, but he hardly trusted nuur’khu to honor such a thing.

The nuur’az floated up close to the creature’s face as though they were communicating again. In response, the creature looked around the room and the nuur’az turned back toward him saying, “The female asks if she may peruse your lab while we converse. She is a very curious thing.”

Tyriks scoffed internally. This pair thought him unintelligent enough to believe this request was nothing more than innocent curiosity. No, it was more likely an attempt to learn something advantageous. He was inclined to deny the request outright, but there was nothing of interest in his lab at the moment. He had just recently cleared it of most everything except a few innocuous items he was working on. “Touch nothing,” he said, the threat once again evident if it disobeyed him.

When the female walked off leaving the nuur’az by itself, he was actually surprised. He waited a moment to see if the nuur’az was going to follow but it didn’t. “Nuur’khu leaves you unattended. It fears not for your safety?” he asked, intrigued enough by this behavior to give voice to a question he may normally keep to himself.

The creature was surveying a disassembled helm fin lying on a shelf as though he hadn’t spoken, nor did it seemingly reply, but nonetheless, the nuur’az gave him its answer. “The female says we have found the Fallen to be honorable thus far. She trusts that you, a noble Fallen Captain, will honor your word.”

Tyriks did not know how to respond to that. His pride flared at the recognition bestowed upon his kind; they were honorable, he was honorable, and there was nothing more important than that. The nuur’az words perplexed him though as he didn’t think nuur’khu would admit such a thing, preferring to insult and denigrate his kind. Ultimately, and quite unbidden, he felt slightly pleased by the compliment, which it most definitely was.

“Anyways,” the nuur’az continued, “previously I said the female does not know what species she is. This is true. However, I know how that sounds, so I will start at the beginning of our story because I think it is a bit easier to understand. Two and a half years ago—oh, um, years are—”

“I understand this hu’in concept of time, Nuur’az,” he interrupted, feeling slightly indignant that it thought him so ignorant as these lesser Vandals to which it must previously have explained this. However, he pushed the feeling aside since the less they knew, the more advantageous for him.

“Really? Well that is actually nice to hear. I mean, the way the Fallen perceive the passage of time is actually more correct than the human’s linear model, but it’s harder to relay certain concepts in conversation. When I first started conversing with the Vandal it was difficult to—” and it abruptly stopped speaking. The nuur’khu and nuur’az turned toward each other momentarily, before it spoke again although to whom it was addressing, he did not know. “Right, I’m rambling. So,” it said turning to face him, “since you seem to need less explanation about Earth concepts than the Vandals, I am just going to assume you understand everything I am saying. If not, you can ask for clarification.”

Tyriks didn’t reply, but he once again found himself just a little bit pleased. The nuur’az apparently understood immediately following that exchange that he was more intelligent than the Vandals and was treating him accordingly. However, there was still reservation at the fact that this pair were quite intelligent themselves to pick up on slight implications. He was quick to note this and everything else he could glean from the pair. He was, after all, still trying to discern how he was going to destroy them.

“Back to my explanation, two and a half years ago I was searching for my nuur’khu on Mars and instead found the female. She is not of Earth nor is she awoken, and I could not determine what species she is, so I should have moved on to continue my search, but… I couldn’t. I was drawn to her. I cannot explain it, but I chose to help her instead of finding my nuur’khu, and we have been together since. To clarify, when I say I chose to help her, it is because the female is wounded. Part of it is her inability to speak, but her mind does not work as it should, and we seek to fix this. I tell you this truthfully to emphasize that she is not a nuur’khu. Her motives are her own. We do not protect this planet, nor do we seek to destroy Fallen. In fact, the vanguard does not know of her existence and she prefers to keep it that way.”

The nuur’az relayed the tale with such conviction it was hard to detect obvious untruths, but Tyriks was skeptical. This entire situation still seemed most likely an elaborate nuur’khu ruse, although for what purpose he still could not identify. “Understand, Nuur’az, I believe nothing you say. However, proof of your words I would consider.”

“Proof? I’m not sure we have any.”

“Captain?” interrupted the lesser Vandal, another nervous arm flick accompanying the word.

“Speak,” he replied, the anger at the interruption evident in his tone.

“Female attacked nuur’khu previously. Spared me from them, after nuur’khu killed Dregs.”

That… was interesting. “This is accurate, yes?” he asked the nuur’az, requiring confirmation.

“Yes. The female launched an attack that distracted the other nuur’khu long enough for the Vandal to escape.”

“For what purpose?”

“She didn’t want him to die.”

For the first time since the creature had made its presence known, Tyriks had a moment of doubt in his plan. There was no proof of their words despite the new piece of information from the Vandal; however, the idea that it had intentionally helped a Fallen was curious. “Why you are here?” he asked as the question occurred to him. The pair and the Vandals had been interacting secretly for many moments and he was curious why it had entered the home caves or shown itself after it had been able to bypass their defenses undetected. If this was a nuur’khu plan to get information from the Fallen or scope out their lair, it could have gleaned much more by staying hidden.

“We are here to seek an agreement.”

“Another agreement. You seek much,” he growled.

“Yes, and this one would be ongoing.”

“Explain.”

“As you are aware, the female has been interacting with that Vandal for some time. She wishes to continue these interactions; however, she knows keeping them secret is not an option. Eventually they would be discovered and both herself and the Vandal endangered by it. So, she wants access to the Vandal and in return, we offer information.”

Tyriks did not know what he expected the agreement to be, but it certainly was not this. Besides the fact that it was hard for him to believe their only desire was to interact with the Vandal, he did not see any gain for the Fallen and he stated as much. “This trade offers no value. This creature is unknown. There is no basis to think the information is useful.”

The creature finished its observations and returned to the Vandal’s side, much too closely for his liking. Unlike him, the lesser Vandal was not perturbed by its proximity, and he wondered how the pair had manipulated this Fallen to this degree. _Although_ , he thought distastefully as he realized the obvious answer; males would do much for a chance at mating and these spawned Fallen were so ignorant they did not balk at the idea of mating outside their own species.

“The female says in exchange for the ongoing agreement that she may interact with the Vandal whenever she desires, we will truthfully provide you with any information you ask of us and…” but its words trailed off as though it did not wish to continue. “And we will allow you to study us.”

“What means this?” Tyriks understood the term, but he highly doubted they were offering to let him dissect them, so he needed clarification.

“So, an additional provision of the agreement would be that we must not come to any harm by you or any member of your crew. If you were to agree to that, we would allow you to study us by examining, scanning, observing, or whatever else you may think of to do to us as we would not have to fear for our safety. In turn, we would also agree not to intentionally harm any member of your crew and to be clear, we only added the last part because we figured you would prefer it officially stated as part of the agreement. We have no intention of harming any Fallen to begin with. If you choose not to make this arrangement, then we will leave and cease all interactions with your crew. The female intends to make this offer to other crews until she finds one that is agreeable.”

This pair were even more crafty than he had originally thought for their word choice was not random. First, they had differentiated the criteria for the Fallen and themselves regarding harm with the word ‘intentionally’. If any member of his crew harmed them intentional or not, then his honor would be tarnished, but the same may not be said of them if it was accidental.

Additionally, they had carefully crafted this agreement to incite multiple feelings within him. They knew what they offered, to study them, and the nuur’az in particular, was of great value to the Fallen. They actively sought nuur’az for this exact purpose and no Fallen had successfully brought one in alive. If genuine, this would be a boon to himself, his crew, and House Devils; he would have the favor of his leadership.

Lastly, they had also ignited his competitive drive and his pride. If he passed on this opportunity, then another crew may take advantage of it. If it turned out well, he would look foolish, and Tyriks had never been that. The choice then was, what option was riskier?

It was not a decision easily made. He needed more moments to consider this and preferably, he would consult the Servitor. Eventually he said as much, “Moments are required for consideration. You will wait here until a decision is made.”

“Understandable. We will wait,” replied the nuur’az.

He turned to leave the lab but paused at a quiet trill from one of the Vandals. “Speak,” he said, irritation returning.

“We should depart, yes?” asked the reaver.

“No. Your fate needs deciding as well,” he growled. He had not forgotten that the Vandals were the reason he was in this situation. In fact, thinking better of it, the pair easily manipulated them; they could not be left alone within the lair.

He was loath to make any other knowledgeable of the nuur’khu, but it was necessary. He needed Fallen in this room that he trusted. Tyriks commed Loksis, / You are needed immediately. / Fortuitously, he received a reply indicating he and the others had just returned from a hunt and were nearby. / Bring them. /

Tyriks hadn’t told him the purpose because there was no way to do so without alarming them. However, he still needed to control the situation once they entered the room for the sight of a nuur’khu would set them off immediately. There was not much to be done about it, but perhaps curbing the creature would help. “The nuur’khu will need to be restrained.”

“Why?” asked the nuur’az and he could hear the alarm in its voice.

“More guards arrive momentarily. You will not be left to unattended in the home caves. The agreement will not be broken accidently by their surprise.”

“Okay. What would you like us to do?”

“All, move there,” he said gesturing to the side of the lab outside the view of the door. He also did not want his private guard viewing them when it admitted the other Fallen. Once they had complied, he commanded, “You two, put it on its knees, restrain its arms. You,” he said to the nuur’az,” would be wise to hide behind your owner.”

The Vandals did as he instructed, and the creature allowed it without reservation. He wasn’t certain if they could control it should the need arise, but this was for show anyways. The nuur’az also reacted to his warning, but it paused near the nuur’khu face and turned to look at him. In an act of boldness, it stated, “I am not property. The female and I are partners,” and then it was gone.

Tyriks would have replied, but his guard commed him. They were waiting outside. / Admit them. / The door slid open and Loksis walked in followed by the others in his hunting party. The door had barely closed behind them when a set of surprised and aggressive trills filled the room. Shock blades and pistols were torn from belts accompanied by shouts of, “Nuur’khu!”

He had anticipated this and before they could make any further moves, he ordered, “ **Enough**.” They all quieted, but the weapons did not lower, not that he expected them to. “There is much to discuss. Nuur’khu and I have an agreement,” and he heard the quiet huffs at that. “No harm on either side for the moment. This includes the nuur’az,” he finished to more stifled trills of surprise.

Tyriks waited for them to comply, but none moved. He did not blame them their reticence, but he would not be disobeyed. His subsequent low growl denoted that fact readily and all the weapons slowly lowered.

“Let it up,” he said to the spawned Vandals. The creature must have understood the situation because once it was released, it moved carefully, returning to the innocuous movements it assumed whenever dealing with aggressive Fallen. Its eyes roamed the newcomers, but Tyriks felt a spike of curiosity when he noticed its gaze lingered on Vost in particular.

After a few moments, the nuur’az floated into view. The elder Vandals were able to restrain themselves at the sight of it outside of a few rogue arm flicks. “I must leave. You four will guard them. None leave. If they try or attack, destroy them. Otherwise, no harm shall come to them.” He received arm flicks of acceptance from each of them and there was no doubt they would obey his orders.

Satisfied, Tyriks intended to depart, but he heard quiet chattering in the hu’in language that made him pause. It was rapid and seemed uneasy, but he did not understand it to know if this was accurate. A moment later, the nuur’az addressed him again, “Captain, do you know how long you will need to make a decision?”

He considered this but did not have an exact answer. “Perhaps two hu’in hours,” he finally replied, using their terms so they would better understand.

“Okay, and are we just going to be staying in this room?”

“Why?” he asked, suspicious of these questions.

“Uh, well… the female asks because she wants to mate.”

Tyriks was taken aback, his mandibles cringing with distaste at the remembrance of the Vandal’s interactions with the creature. However, his reaction was mild compared with the trills and questions suddenly erupting from the elders all at once, “Female?” “Captain, there is a female?” “Who she seeks to mate?”

“ **Silence** ,” he roared, irritated that the nuur’az decided to bring this up in this moment of all things. “Nuur’az, dissuade the creature of this notion.”

“Hey, I’m with you. I told her it hardly seemed like the right time, but she is insistent. She says if you decide not to agree to our arrangement, she would like to mate the Vandal one last time.”

The creature was staring at him, and if his knowledge of nuur’khu was anything to go by, the expression seemed obstinate. The nuur’az was correct; it would not be dissuaded and despite his disgust, the lesser Vandal did not feel the same. He saw it in the rogue arm flicks and the way it now stared at the creature instead of watching him. He was excited.

Reluctantly, he said, “You will remain here. Do as you must.” He turned his attention to the elder Vandals on his way out. “No Fallen hears of what you see, yes?”

Loksis stepped forward and replied, “Yes, Captain.”  

Tyriks gave an arm flick of approval and then walked out of his lab, mind working furiously around everything he had just learned in the last few moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things… are getting interesting.
> 
> Fallen Language. Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'khu – literally means lightbearers.  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light.


	17. Ask Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies! I have nothing to say other than I hope you enjoy this, and I am working on the next chapter.

Kreesis’ eyes followed the Captain’s confident departure and even after the door slid closed behind him, he stared at the empty space. He was too perplexed by everything they had just learned and Tyrik’s decision to react; his mind was lost to thought.

The Captain knew of females and mating, which he and Lykrosis had already speculated, but more than that, he had stated that female Fallen exist. Why had they never seen one then and why was there no mention of them anywhere? It lent credence to the pair’s assumption, which was that because they do not know, it meant their house leadership did not want them to know. Records of females must have been hidden and sanitized from the data core, at least at their access levels.

That left the question: which Fallen knew of their existence? The Captain and most likely any Fallen higher ranking than him knewnuur, but he was a Reaver and still the information had been kept from him. Did one have to be Captain class then? _No,_ he thought remembering the Elder Fallen’s reactions to the Captain mentioning the female wanting to mate. They knew as well. _Perhaps it is only Elder Fallen who know._ The idea was intriguing, and he wanted to confer with Lykrosis, but he was hesitant to speculate on this topic in front of the Elder Vandals.

Finally tearing his gaze from the closed door, he glanced at them. All four Elders were staring in his direction and they seemed as confounded by the Captain’s orders and as distrustful of the creature as he would have expected. He didn’t know how much the Captain had explained to them, but he didn’t think it was much given their reactions.

Although Elder Fallen did not socialize with spawned, he was familiar with two of these Vandals. They were too well respected not to be known to all. The first was Loksis, Devil Claw. He had the highest kill count of any among their crew and was one of the few that could boast that he had met House leadership. He had been the one to accept the Captain’s orders and it did not surprise Kreesis that he was also the one to issue orders to the others now. He instructed the largest Vandal, who was called Vost, and another to guard the door on the far side of the room, which he presumed led to the Captain’s private quarters.

Vost was the fiercest among their crew save the Captains, and Kreesis thought him the logical replacement for Friksor, whether he was a reaver or not. The unknown Elder that accompanied him was heavily scarred through the left side of his face, missing digits on his left, upper claw, and moved with a barely noticeable, injured gate. Regardless of his damages, he must have been an adept warrior to hunt with Loksis and Vost.

The same could also be said of the last Elder although Kreesis could not find anything uniquely identifying about him. He and Loksis moved to guard the entrance of the lab, so that both doors were covered in case they tried to escape as the Captain had suggested might be the case.

“Well,” said the nuur’az drawing the attention of all the Fallen, “I am honestly surprised that went as well as it did.” As it spoke, it turned from where it had also been staring after the Captain and faced him and Lykrosis. The female also followed suit, her face immediately changing to a smile that showed teeth. Through Lykrosis, he knew this meant it was content, but he instinctually recognized it as aggression. He could tell by the arm flicks of the two Elders that could see the creature’s face that they did as well. Fortunately, they did not raise their weapons, yet.

“Your actions are bold, coming here,” Kreesis said quietly.

“Ha!” exclaimed the nuur’az, which put the Elders further on edge although it didn’t seem to notice. “That’s a word for it. I prefer idiotic, suicidal, or how about that one he,” it said using its whole body to gesture at Lykrosis, “is always calling us, foolish.”

“Why come?” he asked not understanding this logic. If they thought entering the home caves was likely to cause their destruction, why take that risk? _Foolish indeed._

“The female insisted, and I have learned not to argue with her. Besides, she **was** right. We are still alive.” It paused for a moment as if considering something and remarked quietly, “Your Captain was more willing to listen than I expected.”

Kreesis did not reply, but he silently agreed. This outcome was what they had desired when they bid Tyriks evaluate the female, but he was surprised the Captain had agreed. Although, considering it all now, he probably shouldn’t have been.

The pair could not have picked a better crew to make their offer. While all Captains were vicious and Tyriks was no exception, he may have been the only one in all of House Devils that would have allowed them to speak and actually considered their words. Less instinctual and more contemplative, he was one of the few high-ranking Fallen that practiced restraint.

This patience was well known among their House, enough so that lesser Fallen often sought to join their crew. To them, it was a chance for a reprieve. The life of a Dreg was not easy. They existed with the knowledge that they were expendable until they proved themselves and became Vandals. This meant that they had to be brave, to the point of reckless, and yet they lived in a constant state of fear, not only of their enemies, but of any Fallen who outranked them.

Kreesis had lived it, had pulled himself out of the Dreg state on his own merits, so he would not pity them, but he did understand their decision. If you risked destruction from your own Captain, better to pick the one that presented the best chance for survival. With Tyriks, if they kept out of his way and aided the crew, he was less likely to lash out at them, even when angered.

“Enough,” said Lykrosis, speaking for the first time since Tyriks had departed. “Our moments are few. They may be our last. I desire to mate.”

The creature smiled again and then moved between himself and Lykrosis. Although it was not threatening, the Elders all still tensed. That he understood well; acclimating to its presence was not an easy task. Even now, though he tolerated its proximity, it could reach out and touch him if it so desired, he was still on edge. His many trips to the hollow had lessened his defensiveness, but it had not left him.

The same could not be said of Lykrosis. Already excited trills escaped him and as Kreesis watched, he grabbed the female’s hips, drawing her closer to him. There was no reticence to be found; touching the female seemed to be natural for him now, easy.

Once again, Kreesis was puzzled by this. The creature was not Fallen; therefore, it was their enemy. Lykrosis should want to destroy it. Instead he touched it, but more than that, he reveled in that touch. The lower claws against its hips dipped down to the edge of the female’s fabric and slowly moved back up. Kreesis watched enthralled as the sharp tips dragged along the shining flesh, hard enough to leave red lines in their wake but not enough to pierce.

The female’s backside was exposed to the room, although she still wore the smaller fabric. She shivered under his touch as if frigid, but heat poured off her body, warming everything around her including them. Lykrosis switched to his upper claws as he continued to remove the fabric over her head and returned his lower claws to her backside, grabbing the flesh. The other Vandal had previously told him that there was something carnally pleasing about digging his claws into the round flesh.

The clothing was lost to the ground as Lykrosis wound his claws around her upper body and unclasped the fabric that he was told was called a bra. Lykrosis drew that off her as well, dropped it to the floor, and then ran his claws over her exposed nipples. The female’s breath caught, a quiet gasp escaping her, and Lykrosis responded with a low growl. He drew her hips in further, crushing her lower body against his, and pheromones flooded the room.

That scent, an intoxicating combination of hunting and mating pheromones, riled him up. It incited his aggressive nature, but also caused desire to burn within his abdomen. Again, like so many times before when he had watched these two, he was struck by envy. He wanted this, he wanted to feel what Lykrosis felt, he wanted to understand what made the other Vandal enjoy this act so much.

Kreesis considered his situation; would he ever get another chance to mate? If the Captain came to a favorable conclusion, perhaps, but if not, he would be destroyed right alongside Lykrosis. He understood that from the earlier conversation. Lykrosis seemed to have accepted his fate and his only desire for his remaining moments was to mate. Was it really so good?

He had to find out. “Lykrosis,” he said quietly interrupting the pair. Lykrosis paused. When he said nothing more, the other Vandal stared at him with a look he understood to be curiosity even without accompanying arm flicks. “I desire to mate the female,” he finally admitted. The female turned at his words, enough so that she dislodged Lykrosis’ hold on her hips. Her head cocked to the side, which she was prone to do when evaluating something.

He didn’t know what to make of that, but he didn’t have any moments to contemplate her actions. Lykrosis pulled the female against his front again even as he addressed him with an accompanying smug arm flick, “I stated this, you would desire mating.” Kreesis did not appreciate the smugness, but he said nothing. Lykrosis had been right; he could not deny that. “Come. I will provide direction.”

Kreesis took a step forward, but the nuur’az, which had previously moved a little away from the pair, was suddenly in between him and the female. “You two are so presumptuous,” it said aggressively, which caused him to retreat a few steps back. It floated up to eye level so it could address Lykrosis behind the female, “She is not yours to share with others and **he** does not get to decide if she will mate with you. That choice is hers,” it finished, looking at him again.

“Female declines mating the reaver?” Lykrosis asked.

“You know what? I do not know. Ask her.”

Kreesis exchanged a look with Lykrosis and he was certain they were thinking the same thing. “Female does not speak,” he stated, not understanding why the nuur’az suggested they ask the creature.

“That is irrelevant. I speak for her, but the answers are her own as are the decisions. You two speak about her like she isn’t standing right in front of you, like she is a thing instead of an intelligent, living creature. Did you not notice that even after your Captain discovered she could not speak, he still addressed her directly? He showed her more respect than either of you.”

The room had grown still and quiet during the nuur’az speech, even the Elders were motionless. To suggest that another Fallen had been disrespectful was a grave insult. Kreesis instinctual reaction was to deny it, but he realized it was true, on both counts. He would not have spoken about another Fallen in front of him unless he intended disrespect, and the Captain had spoken directly to the female, accepting that she would respond in whatever manner she could.

“Now,” the nuur’az said, not giving him a chance to respond, “ask her because I’d actually like to know the answer to that question myself.”

Kreesis was surprised that the pair were not more upset, or at least not displaying their ire if they were, over the disrespect they had received. Nevertheless, understanding he had erred, Kreesis looked directly at the female and she gave him the full weight of her gaze, obviously waiting. “Female,” he said, “do you accept mating, with me?”

The response was not forthcoming. She cocked her head to the side again, evaluating, always evaluating. They all stared at her, even the nuur’az, as they waited for an answer. To his surprise, the Elder Vandals were also curious as to the answer, their curious and agitated arm flicks denoting this, although he did not understand the reason behind the agitation.

Kreesis figured the response would ultimately come from the nuur’az, but he was wrong. The female smiled at him and he needed no other explanation to know she had accepted. Although he was pleased by this, still the reticence swept over him as she pulled away from Lykrosis’ claws and slowly closed the distance between them. There was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t sure if the female noticed, but she probably had; Lykrosis said she somehow always knew.

Sure enough, she stopped right in front of him, but did not try to touch him. The nuur’az floated up close to her face stating, “The female knows you are hesitant about her touching you despite your desire to mate, but there is not enough time to go really slow. You will need to accept that she does not intend you harm and let her do as she pleases without hindering or threatening her. If you cannot do this, then she will just mate with the other Vandal.”

“This is accepted,” he replied. Kreesis had made up his mind and the reticence would not stop him. Perhaps once the female touched him, he may feel differently, but for now, he was determined. His own desire was at the forefront of that determination, but behind that desire, his competitive nature was also pushing at him. Fallen existed in a constant state of competition and one must prove their worth in all things. Lykrosis had experienced something he hadn’t and by all accounts, he was now proficient at it. If Lykrosis could do this, then so could he.  

“Are you sure about this?” the nuur’az asked the female. The answer must have come quickly as only a few moments later it said, “Alright. You have already seen mating multiple times,” it said addressing him again, “but if you need any further instruction, they can help you. I don’t want to be involved any more than I have to.” After that, it floated toward the corner of the lab furthest away from them and began scanning objects. “And before any of you new Fallen get upset about me scanning things, your Captain already said we could look around the lab,” it added pointedly without turning around.

The indignant arm flicks from the Elders humored him. However, with nothing further to distract him, Kreesis’ attention was brought back to the female. She stood in the same place, close enough to touch, staring at him and he stared right back. He knew what would happen next; he had witnessed mating often enough. His gaze flicked to her claw as she raised it; closer and closer it moved toward his chestplate. It was unhurried, but that did nothing to quell the unease rapidly building within.

He had requested this, desired it, and yet, he didn’t. There was a battle raging inside him with what he knew of mating and the female and his instinct to avoid any form of physical contact, particularly from an enemy. Close, so close, and already he could feel the warmth emanating from it. His lifeblood was pumping more rapidly, spurred on by the warmth, the unease, and the pheromones wafting through the air.

He tensed, whether before or in reaction to, he could not say, but the claw was suddenly pressed flat against him. Despite all his reticence and how much instinct was telling him to rip her arm from her socket for touching him, that touch did feel good. It was the heat. The female wasn’t just warm, she was hot. Her body temperature far exceeded their own and he was drawn to it.

Given that he hadn’t pushed her away, she must have taken that as a sign he was ready for more. Both claws were against him now, moving slowly toward his belt. As much as he appreciated the heat, it was taking all his restraint not to threaten her. Of which, the female was aware, as always.

She stopped moving entirely and brought her gaze back to his. Only a moment later, she pulled back and he was disappointed at the loss of the heat, but in the same moment, relieved. The female retreated further than he expected, taking a few steps backwards until she bumped into the Captain’s worktop. She hopped up onto it, ending up sitting on the edge of it facing them. She momentarily turned her attention to the corner of the room behind them where the nuur’az had moved to and then she was looking at them again.

“Of course, you would need something explained,” came the nuur’az words from behind him, although closer than he expected. He turned to see it was moving back toward them and was looking at him in particular. “The female says she has a solution to make this easier on you since you remain on edge. She wants you to move closer to her and then she will explain. Also, she wants you,” it directed at Lykrosis, “to move onto the other side of the table behind her.”

Kreesis was wary of this solution but curious as well and moved to comply with only slight hesitance. Lykrosis did the same, although he was certain there was no hesitance in the other vandal. When they were both in position, the nuur’az spoke again, “She wants you to touch and explore her body first and then when you are more comfortable, she will touch you. Also, she wants him to retrain her, which should help as well.”

“Restrain?” asked Lykrosis.

“Yeah, the female likes to be held down.” In the same moment, the female laid back against the worktop, placing her claws above her head and looking up at Lykrosis. “She thinks you will like it as well. The more aroused she becomes and the closer to finishing, the more she is going to struggle against you, but you are stronger than her and she won’t be able to escape.”

Kreesis had to admit, he liked the idea of being able to physically restrain the female, but his reaction was mild compared to Lykrosis’. The other vandal growled loudly; apparently, the idea appealed to him immensely. “You tempt me, Female,” he said as he lent slightly over her form, lower claws holding hers down as requested and uppers moving to her breasts. “My patience lessens. Come. Touch the female. Or I will take your place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fallen Language. Listed in order of appearance:  
> Nuur'az-literally means tool of light.


End file.
